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Module 2
How do soils vary in time, space, and composition? What makes them living systems?
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Overview — What to expect in Module 2
Module 2 is all about diversity – diversity of soils in terms of history, landscapes, properties, biodiversity, as well as ways in testing soils for their properties.
Explore the remarkable diversity of soils and learn how different soils form and develop across landscapes through the interaction of climate, organisms, topography, parent material, and time.
Watch the introductory video to find out more!
In this topic, you will explore soils as living records of environmental history. You will learn how to “read” soil profiles, how researchers extract intact sections of soils called monoliths, and discover the key factors and processes that shape soils around the world. Step by step, you will begin to see soils not as static ground beneath you, but as dynamic systems – formed over centuries and deeply connected to the landscapes and ecosystems they support. When you learn how to read soils, you can identify their properties, functions, and the environmental conditions in which they formed. This knowledge helps assess whether a soil is suitable for agriculture, land management, construction, and the soil services it can provide.
After completing this topic, you will be able to…
In this topic, you’ll take a closer look at soil as a dynamic system composed of minerals, organic matter, living organisms, water, and air. You will explore how these elements interact to create soil, and how this hidden structure supports soil ecosystem services, influences plant growth, water movement, and other processes.
Through reflection and simple do-it-yourself (DIY) soil tests, you will observe soil from a scientist’s perspective – seeing it not just as the material beneath your feet, but as a living and vulnerable natural body full of activity and connections.
After completing this topic, you will be able to:
Soils are home to an incredible diversity of organisms, from microscopic microbes to larger soil animals. In this topic, you will discover how soil life is connected through the soil food web, explore the diversity of soil organisms, and learn how different ecosystems and land uses shape the communities beneath our feet.
After completing this topic, you will be able to:
Explain the role of soil biodiversity and describe how interactions between soil organisms contribute to the functioning of ecosystems.
Classify the major groups of soil organisms and identify their ecological roles within the soil food web.
Explore different approaches to learning about soil biodiversity.
Analyse how different ecosystems and land-use practices influence soil biodiversity and explain why soil communities vary between places.
Soils are like the “memory” of an ecosystem. They record evidence of past climate, vegetation, land use and natural disturbance. In this topic, you will explore major terrestrial ecosystems and learn about soil in forests, crop fields, grasslands and cities, and what makes each of them unique. You will also have the opportunity to learn more about the diversity of peat soils and how soil sounds are connected to land cover and pollution.
After completing this topic, you will be able to:
