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Around a third of all creatures on the
planet live in soil. Most rely on their
fellow soil-dwellers for food. Some
poo out nutrients for plants to eat.
Scientists often group the animals
together by size.
Earthworms
These wrigglers eat dead
plants and make poo
containing lots of nutrients.
Soil organisms eat the
poo to get the nutrients.
Fungi and plants
Fungi release chemicals, called
enzymes, which break down dead
plants into nutrients. The fungi, as
well as plants, can then absorb
these nutrients to grow.
Moles
You may never see a worm-guzzling mole
because it spends most of its life below
ground. However, piles of freshly dug
soil are a sign of moles beneath.
Springtails can
spring (jump) as
high as a pencil.
Mites are the
fastest-running
land animal for
their size.
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Hyphae are the
skinny bits of
fungi that absorb
soil nutrients.
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