Litter film
Fungi and bacteria open cellulose.
Fresh litter feeds fast opportunists. Lignin feeds slower fungi.
Rhizospheres — the millimetres around a root — are nightclubs of exudates. Bulk soil is quieter.
Parts
Rhizosphere
Root sugars recruit allies and, sometimes, pathogens.
Mycorrhizal hyphae
Filaments extend the root's reach for phosphorus and water.
Anaerobic microsites
Inside aggregates, denitrifiers can work a thumb away from air.
Mineral surfaces
Clays bind cells and organic matter.
Virus particles
Soil phages edit bacterial populations. Most are unnamed.
Life cycle
1Input
Leaves, roots and manure arrive as carbon and nitrogen.
2Decompose
Guilds unlock polymers. Heat in a compost pile is their overtime.
3Partner or mineralise
Some carbon becomes biomass; some becomes CO2; some sticks to clay.
4Return
Plants take up mineral nutrients. The map restarts with the next rain.
No recipes for isolating pathogens live here.
Keep exploring
More in Beneficial allies
Gut microbiome
A diverse intestinal community fed by fibre — not a single ideal species list and not a wellness shop.
Familiarity 88Probiotics
Live microbes in food or capsules — strain-specific guests, not a whole microbiome and not medical advice.
Familiarity 90Fermentation
Microbes turning food into kimchi, doenjang, yoghurt and other living crafts — chemistry plus culture.
Familiarity 85Skin microbiome
A site-specific living film — oily, moist and dry neighbourhoods, not a sterile wrapper.
Familiarity 62Nitrogen cycle
How microbes move nitrogen between air, soil, water and food — plus the industrial shortcut that feeds billions.
Familiarity 40