Question

What will happen if-
Microbes in the soil get destroyed?

Answer 1

Hint: Microorganisms present in the soil play a vital role in soil ecology and soil formation. Soil microbes can be categorized as fungi, algae, bacteria, etc.

Complete answer:
Soil microorganisms play various roles like cycling nutrients and also fertilizing the soil. The microorganism breaks the complex substances present in the decaying plants as well as animals so that they can be re-used by the living plants. This includes microbes as a catalyst in several natural cycles the most prominent like; carbon, nitrogen, etc. Microbes are involved in the decomposition (where dead animals or plants are broken down by the microbe’s example like earthworms which is a natural decomposer converted into simpler molecules).
Some major role includes:
Some bacteria and blue-green algae have the ability to fix the atmospheric nitrogen and convert it into ammonia. In turn, these enrich the fertility of the soil. These microorganisms are referred to as biological nitrogen fixers.
Fungi and bacteria present in the soil help in the decomposition of dead decaying wastes and convert them into manure and increase soil fertility.
If all these microbes which are present in the soil get destroyed its effect can be irreversible because in absence of these microbes plants cannot fix nitrogen directly from the surroundings and other biogeochemical cycles also not take place in their absence. The soil will lose its fertility and nutrients because no decomposition takes place as the main source of it is microbes. Therefore, the soil becomes infertile.
Soil respiration and its nutrient cycles also stopped.

Note: Plants are part of an ecosystem having several and diverse microbes. They act as natural soil engineers that regulate nutrients to the plant and detoxify the organic and inorganic pollutants occurring in soil.