Best example is legumes having symbiotic relationship with rhizobium bacteria that fixes atmospheric nitrogen increasing soil fertility.

Dr J.M. Ndiritu thank you for your contribution to the discussion

When microorganisms decompose in the soil, they produce a variety of beneficial products that contribute to soil fertility:

1. Nutrients:

• Nitrogen: Some microbes, called nitrogen fixers, convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonium, which can be used by plants. Others, like nitrifiers and denitrifiers, participate in the nitrogen cycle, transforming and making nitrogen available in different forms.
• Phosphorus: Microbial activity dissolves and releases phosphorus from organic matter and minerals, making it accessible to plants.
• Sulphur: Sulphur-oxidizing bacteria release sulphur from organic matter and minerals, providing plants with an essential nutrient.

2. Organic matter:

• Microbes break down dead plant and animal matter, creating stable humus. Humus improves soil structure, drainage, and water-holding capacity, all of which contribute to fertile soil.
• Microbes release various organic compounds that stimulate plant growth.

3. Other benefits:

• Microbes can suppress soil-borne pathogens, protecting plants from diseases.
• They produce hormones and other growth factors that benefit plants.
• They promote soil aggregation, creating a crumbly structure that allows for better air and water movement.

By producing these beneficial products and performing crucial roles in biogeochemical cycles, soil microbes significantly enhance soil fertility:

• Carbon cycle: Microbes decompose organic matter, releasing carbon dioxide. They also store carbon in their bodies and in the humus they create. This cycling of carbon is essential for climate regulation and plant growth.
• Nitrogen cycle: As mentioned above, microbes play a vital role in making nitrogen available to plants.
• Phosphorous cycle: Microbial activity releases phosphorus from rocks and minerals, making it usable for plants.
• Other element cycles: Soil microbes participate in cycling various other elements like sulphur, iron, and potassium, influencing their availability for plants.

Maintaining a healthy and diverse microbial community in the soil is crucial for sustainable agriculture and healthy ecosystems. This can be achieved through practices like using compost, minimizing soil disturbance, and avoiding excessive pesticide and fertilizer use.

Dr Murtadha Shukur thank you for your contribution to the discussion

The decomposition of organic matter by microorganisms occurs in the presence of oxygen in this process. Heat, H2O and CO2 are the byproducts of aerobic digestion. CO2 is a greenhouse gas, but it is less harmful than methane. The heat generated during the process kills the pathogens and bacteria.Most decomposers are microscopic organisms, including protozoa and bacteria. Other decomposers are big enough to see without a microscope. They include fungi along with invertebrate organisms sometimes called detritivores, which include earthworms, termites, and millipedes.Successive decomposition of dead material and modified organic matter results in the formation of a more complex organic matter as humus. Soil microorganisms promote the decomposition of organic matter by secreting enzymes. The changes of biochar on soil enzyme activity are affected by the interaction between biochar, enzymes, and enzyme substrates. The active sites of biochar can absorb or desorbs enzymes and their substrates. The soil microbes mediate the biogeochemical cycling for soil mineral nutrients availability such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur, which are the major growth promoting nutrients to the plants. The microbes use organic carbon as their energy source to drive the recycling process. Microorganisms play a dominant role in the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients. They are rightly praised for their facility for fixing both carbon and nitrogen into organic matter, and microbial driven processes have tangibly altered the chemical composition of the biosphere and its surrounding atmosphere. Soil microorganisms are responsible for most of the nutrient release from organic matter. When microorganisms decompose organic matter, they use the carbon and nutrients in the organic matter for their own growth. They release excess nutrients into the soil where they can be taken up by plants. The biogeochemical cycle involves external transfers of elements among different components of a forest system. Uptake of nutrients from the soil and return of these nutrients in leaf fall, branch shedding, root growth and death, or through tree mortality is a major component of the biogeochemical nutrient cycle. Soil plays a role in nearly all biogeochemical cycles on the Earth's surface. Global cycling of key elements such as carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and sulfur (S) all pass through soil. In the hydrologic (water) cycle, soil helps to mediate infiltration (percolating) from the surface into the groundwater. Microbial activity in soil is also responsible for carbon losses to the atmosphere through respiration and methanogenesis, and microorganisms are required for remediation, through degradation of organic pollutants and immobilization of heavy metals, providing obvious examples of improving soil quality. The microorganisms are key players to many ecosystem processes, including the enhancement of soil fertility. The soil microbes mediate the biogeochemical cycling for soil mineral nutrients availability such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur, which are the major growth promoting nutrients to the plants. Microorganisms play a dominant role in the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients. They are rightly praised for their facility for fixing both carbon and nitrogen into organic matter, and microbial driven processes have tangibly altered the chemical composition of the biosphere and its surrounding atmosphere.