Abstract

Microorganisms form the bulk of soil biota. Having densities of hundreds of millions per gram, bacteria are the dominant organisms. They are the starting point of most trophic chains, they ensure a major part of soil functionality as an ecosystem and they effectively create soil, especially by breaking down organic matter. Their taxonomic diversity is enormous, such as the ecological one: heterotrophs, photoautotrophs, chemoautotrophs, etc. Besides them, there are also archaea, viruses, different types of microalgae, and the eclectic group we usually call “protozoans”.