Welcome to Soil Biodiversity UK

Welcome to the Soil Biodiversity UK webpage!

Our soils aren't just an inert material for planting crops in or building houses on - they're a complex natural habitat teeming with millions of soil organisms.  This soil life does most of the important work of the soil: decomposing residues and pollutants, releasing and cycling nutrients, building good soil structure to help prevent flooding and help plants grow and making tough organic matter that retains moisture and locks away carbon for hundreds of years.  It even provides us with new medicines.

Yet it's also a fascinating world of biological diversity, with thousands of different species ranging from miniscule bacteria to earthworms 35 cm long.  Many of the creatures that crawl, wriggle or swim through the soil pores are tiny, and this, along with their diversity, has made it all too easy to ignore them.  Yet, with a cheap microscope, you'll find some amazing, beautiful, surprising and even cuteIf  organisms.  Explore the world of soil life and you'll meet creatures that you never knew existed, and might even come across some that are new to science.

This page aims to help you navigate the world of soil life.  It aims to provide links and reference to useful resources, species lists, keys and information on the tiny creatures that make life on land possible.

Please note that the species lists and taxonony present here is a work in progress. Please contact me on acari.uk@gmail.com if you can spot, or help correct, any errors!