Question

How are living organisms dependent on soil?

Answer 1

Hint: Plants require soil to grow and for their nutrition. They uptake certain elements like nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, etc. which are essential for plant growth and metabolism.
Animals are heterotrophs, they depend on plants or other animals for their food. In our ecosystem food chains prevail that link different organisms and plants.

Complete answer:
All living organisms, whether plant or animal, depend on soil for their food and nutrition. Plants depend on soil for mineral and water uptake. They uptake minerals and water present in the soil through their roots. Animals depend on plants for their food which in turn depends on soil for their nutrition so every living organism depends on soil directly or indirectly.
Plants need soil to grow. They are autotrophs, that is they make their own food by the process of photosynthesis inside the chloroplast which contains chlorophyll. During this process, they use carbon dioxide and water in the presence of sunlight to make glucose and oxygen. The need for water in photosynthesis is achieved by its uptake from the soil.
Plants need certain elements which are essential for their growth and metabolism. These elements are further categorized into macronutrients and micronutrients according to the quantity of them needed in plants. Plants uptake some of these essential nutrients from the soil, which is also called reservoirs of elements and nutrients.
Animals are heterotrophs, that is they rely on plants and other animals for their food and energy requirements. Heterotrophs are divided into four types
Herbivores- Those animals which depend directly on plants for their food and energy requirements are called herbivores.
Carnivores- Those organisms which depend on flesh or meat of other organisms to meet their food and energy requirements are called carnivores
Omnivores- Those organisms which depend on both plants and animals for their food and energy needs are called omnivores.
Decomposers- They are the organisms which depend on dead and decaying plants for food and decompose them are called decomposers.
Herbivores and omnivores depend on plants which in turn depend upon soil for their nutrients requirements.
Carnivores and omnivores depend upon other animals' flesh, these other animals depend on plants for their food requirements.

Note:
Food chain is a chain of organisms that link different organisms that eat one another for their food requirement. Energy is transferred from one trophic level to another through the food chain.
When several food chains interconnect they form a food web.