Under Ground: How Creatures of Mud and Dirt Shape Our World

Science News, Sept 3, 2005

UNDER GROUND: How Creatures of Mud and Dirt Shape Our World

YVONNE BASKIN

People may give little thought to it, but the world beneath their feet teems with life. Baskin gives readers a closer look at soil and the diverse ecosystems that exist there. Mud and dirt are home to a host of invisible organisms, including bacteria, yeast, molds, microscopic invertebrates, and nematode worms. Baskin examines the roles that these organisms play in balancing the aboveground ecosystem as they make nutrients and minerals available for plant life. The reader is invited to follow along as Baskin travels with scientists hunting worms in Antarctica. They explore the frozen landscape and the ocean floor to learn how organisms living in the mud are affected by fishing. The scientists have discovered that invading earthworms make the soil more vulnerable to erosion. Baskin also ponders threats to vital soil communities everywhere that are posed by human activity and pollution. Shearwater, 2005, 256 p., hardcover, $26.95.