Question

How are living organisms dependent on the soil? Are organisms that live in water totally independent of the soil as a resource?

Answer 1

Soil is an important source of nutrients for various living organisms. They support the biogeochemical cycles that occur in the environment and provide nutrition from the atmosphere to the soil and lastly to water and then back to the atmosphere.

Complete step by step answer:
Soil plays a major role in providing nutrition to the various living organisms that include plants, animals, microorganisms, humans, insects, etc. Most plants get their nutrition from the soil and animals including humans are dependent upon plants for nutrition. Soil helps in providing anchorage, strength, and support to the plants for their growth and development. Soil also gives space for various microorganisms and animals to live in an ecosystem. These animals when excretes return the nutrition back to the soil resulting in the increase in soil fertility when the decomposers act on it.
The organisms that live in water are partially dependent upon the soil, they are not completely independent of soil. There are several aquatic plants that require nutrition from the soil through the water bodies. The soil when washed off due to drought, flood, heavy rainfall, etc then these plants get their nutrition from the soil in water bodies along with the aquatic animals who consume these plants. If these dissolved minerals are not absorbed by the aquatic plants and animals then they will not be able to grow and develop this will lead to disturbance in the food chain and eventually in the ecosystem.

Note: There are many advantages of soil with respect to living organisms: Soil provides habitat to various plants and animals, it is responsible for the growth of various forests that include the different trees of medicinal plants, ornamental plants, wood, etc. This dependency of living organisms for food and nutrients is called soil food web.