Question

How do plants affect the soil?

Answer 1

The plants help in the replenishing and maintaining a cycle of intake and outlet of minerals from the soil. These minerals are maintained at that level in the soil by the dead and decaying organic materials and dead body parts and leaves. These minerals and water are observed by the plants from the soil.

Complete answer:
The growth and activity of organisms living in the soil are influenced by the soil structure. Which in turn leads to the change in the soil structure by the plants, fauna, and microbes. Structural form and stability of soil are affected at different scales through direct and indirect mechanisms because of the vegetation. Fluid transport is favoured by the macropores that are formed when the roots penetrate the soil and that also leads to the fragmentation of soil and form aggregates. The wetting and drying cycle of the plant’s growth period increases this above phenomenon. The shrinking and strengthening of the soil happen due to the drying process. Soil structure is stabilized by anchorage of the roots and exuding the cementing material. Finally, the structure formation and stabilization occur through the residue that is provided as food for the microflora and fauna by the roots and plant. Hence in the end root, the physical environment and the water and nutrient cycles are improved because of the plant induced changes in the structure.

Note: The interface between the solid, liquid, and gas-phase results in most of the reactions and processes that occur chemically, biologically or physically. The soil structure is defined by the spatial arrangement of these three phases.