Already November! The leaves lie in drifts on the ground. The leaves will eventually rot to the ground if no leaf blower appears. Just like that, all by themselves? No, of course not. Many microorganisms, fungi, insects, and other small animals flock to help break down the leaves in the soil. This week’s blog post will tell you more about the small animals called decomposers; without them, we would be in trouble. For example, we would have no soil for growing food!
A large part of the organic material in our nature, such as leaves, plants and fruit, is never eaten while it is alive. The earth is crowded with small animals that live on what falls to the ground: dead plant parts, animals and droppings. We can say that these small animals are nature’s garbage collectors. Although they do much more than collect garbage, they also recycle the waste and give it new life. Large parts of the nutrients bound in the plants and animals are released when they eat and break down organic material. Thus, the nutrients enter the soil so plants can again absorb them via their roots. The earth would be nutrient-poor without decomposers, and very little could grow.
THE MASTER OF THE DECOMPOSERS
Earthworms are skilled decomposers that fertilise, oxygenate and loosen the soil. Their constant digging makes the soil airy and hollow, meaning oxygen and water reach down to the roots and organisms. The earthworms dig long passages underground where they pull down dead animals and plant parts from the ground, which become food for both themselves and other animals and microorganisms that live further down in the soil. The corridors also serve as motorways for the roots of the plants. After the meal, the earthworm leaves nutrient-rich faeces on the ground, fertilising the plants. Fantastic, right?
Other effective decomposers are sows and tails. You may have been involved in lifting a rock and then backing away when you see a crowd of sows running around underneath. Most grey sows are terrestrial crustaceans that breathe with gills and thrive in humid, dark environments. Jumping tails are less known to the public. They are very small, often white and live in large numbers under the ground.
Typically, there are more than 50,000 organisms per square meter of forest land. Grey sows and jumping tails occur worldwide; both groups are ancient, maybe because they have an obsolete function. Long before the time of the dinosaurs, they were there to create new life from everything that died.
WHAT WOULD THE WORLD LOOK LIKE IF THERE WERE NO BUGS THAT TOOK CARE OF THE ANIMALS’ FECES?
We can not forget all the small animals that help break down faeces. Did you know that as many as 400 species participate in breaking down cow dung? [1] In Sweden, about 60 species of dung beetles live in and from droppings from various animals such as cows, sheep, or horses. The droppings contain lots of nutrients, which, thanks to the manure beetles, can be broken down and made available to the pasture plants. If decomposers were not in place, the droppings would spread over the fields and suffocate the vegetation.
And you know what? Manure containing dung beetles show reduced methane emissions [2]. Cow dung generally emits methane gas, a greenhouse gas about 25 times stronger than carbon dioxide. During the decomposition of the cow dung, methane is formed, which results in a lack of oxygen. However, when manure beetles burrow for sustenance within the waste, they create channels that facilitate air entry, introducing oxygen and consequently lowering methane gas production. In essence, manure beetles play a valuable role in diminishing the climate impact of agriculture.
AROUND 30% OF OUR SWEDISH BEETLES DEPEND ON DEAD TREES
Many beetles feed on dead trees and tree debris, so-called wood-living beetles. In addition to helping to return nutrients to the soil, many are predators that neutralise pests and parasites. Unfortunately, it looks dark for many of the wood-living beetles. Intensive forestry has meant that trees are increasingly rarely left to rot in our forests. Today’s forest landscape is dominated by clear-cutting and spruce and pine plantations. The loss of habitats has led to many species being rare or even endangered [3]. One-fifth of Europe’s wood-living beetles are at risk of extinction [4].
AS MORE AND MORE PEOPLE OPEN THEIR EYES TO THE HARMFUL ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF THE COTTON INDUSTRY, INTEREST IN FOREST-BASED TEXTILES HAS INCREASED.
Sweden has long conducted high-intensity forestry, but due to reduced demand for, among other things, pulp, more and more forest owners are beginning to set their sights on the textile industry. We are used to textile fibres originating from different parts of the world. But recently, Sweden has become a significant exporter of so-called dissolving pulp, mainly made from pulpwood and the raw material in producing, for example, viscose, lyocell, and other wood-based textile fibres. And more likely to be, the demand for dissolving pulp is increasing by 7-8% per year [5]. Read and learn more under Textile Knowledge.
Forest-based textiles are described as sustainable because wood is a renewable raw material. What happens to the forest ecosystem when we increasingly reduce the forests and continue cultivating more spruce and pine? The wood in the forest should be enough; it’s time to stop and think about what we need. Developing new textile materials may not be the solution when the big problem is that we produce and consume too much.
So, imagine a world without fungi, insects and other small animals that helped break down all the dead animals, plants and faeces. What would it look like?
HOW CAN YOU HELP THE DECOMPOSERS?
- Earthworms and other decomposers live on dead organic material in all forms. If you have a garden, please leave leaves and other organic material on the ground.
- Use compost.
- Degraders need help living in sprayed soils. Choose organic!
- Support and become a member of environmental organisations that work for sustainable forestry and rich biodiversity.
Sources
- Intechopen.com – Natural pastures, meadows and arable grazing, what makes them different?
- Landlantbruk.se – Dung beetles reduce emissions from cows
- Springer Open- Research on retention forestry in Northern Europe
- The Guardian – One-fifth of Europe’s wood beetles at risk of extinction as ancient trees decline
- Skogsindustrierna.se – Biodiversity in the Swedish Forest
