Life in the Soil: A Guide for Naturalists and Gardeners [Paperback]

James B. Nardi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2007 | ISBN-10: 0226568520 | ISBN-13: 978-0226568522

Leonardo da Vinci once mused that “we know more about the movement of celestial bodies than about the soil underfoot,” an observation that is as apt today as it was five hundred years ago. The biological world under our toes is often unexplored and unappreciated, yet it teems with life. In one square meter of earth, there lives trillions of bacteria, millions of nematodes, hundreds of thousands of mites, thousands of insects and worms, and hundreds of snails and slugs. But because of their location and size, many of these creatures are as unfamiliar and bizarre to us as anything found at the bottom of the ocean.

Lavishly illustrated with nearly three hundred color illustrations and masterfully-rendered black and white drawings throughout, Life in the Soil invites naturalists and gardeners alike to dig in and discover the diverse community of creatures living in the dirt below us.  Biologist and acclaimed natural history artist James B. Nardi begins with an introduction to soil ecosystems, revealing the unseen labors of underground organisms maintaining the rich fertility of the earth as they recycle nutrients between the living and mineral worlds. He then introduces readers to a dazzling array of creatures: wolf spiders with glowing red eyes, snails with 120 rows of teeth, and 10,000-year-old fungi, among others. Organized by taxon, Life in the Soil covers everything from slime molds and roundworms to woodlice and dung beetles, as well as vertebrates from salamanders to shrews. The book ultimately explores the crucial role of soil ecosystems in conserving the worlds above and below ground.

A unique and illustrative introduction to the many unheralded creatures that inhabit our soils and shape our environment aboveground, Life in the Soil will inform and enrich the naturalist in all of us.

(20070818)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“James Nardi’s Life in the Soil is a very worthy and meaningful introduction to the soil biota and their unique ecosystem.Coverage of the living forms is comprehensive, with fine graphics showing the diversity of major taxa that inhabit soils. These illustrations provide a good basis for the in-depth understanding needed if one wishes to use more advanced, complex identification keys to study any living soil groups in more detail. In addition to basic identification values for naturalists and gardeners, teachers at all grade levels also should find this an invaluable resource book for surveying field collections of soil creatures and their ecology. Furthermore, naturalists as well as educators and their students will benefit from the descriptions and illustrations of collection and observation chambers that can be used for live animals to initiate research such as population, behavioral or life history studies. Finally, the techniques for composting provide important information on the functional roles of the decomposer microcommunities of soil biota in the actual compost production. Composting presented here as a partnership between soil organisms and humans provides a vital message  regarding waste reduction and recycling. Those who are environmentally inclined should read this book to acquire an understanding of our terrestrial ecosystem and the well being of the soils of the earth.”—Dan Dindal, editor of the Soil Biology Guide
 

(Dan Dindal 20071121)

“This is the book I''ve been waiting for! Life in the Soil is a clear, definitive guide to the fascinating underground world. James Nardi champions dung beetles and cockroaches alike; he celebrates the intricate relationships between plant roots and microscopic fungi; and he sheds light on the complexities in a pile of rotting leaves. Any gardener who has ever wondered about the mysterious creatures that turn up in a shovelful of dirt should have a copy of this book.”—Amy Stewart, author of Flower Confidential and The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms

(Amy Stewart 20071204)

"The bright yellow jelly that appeared under the tree in our front garden was a slime mould''s plasmodium, I now know, thanks to Life in the Soil. Biologist Nardi not only catalogues organisms—from algae to wombats—that live in soil, but also explains their roles in the web of life. Aimed at gardeners as well as naturalists, with a final section on DIY composting, this book uncovers the densely populated world that exists, literally, right under our feet, bringing to light countless flies and beetles, and such underground stars as termites and earthworms."—Jonathan Beard, New Scientist 

(Jonathan Beard New Scientist 20071220)

“Nardi takes us deep into the engine room of soil production, exploring and describing the myriad organisms—amoebae, fungi, bacteria, arthropods, etc—that dwell there. A strange, revealing and captivating book.”—Mark Cocker, Guardian

(Mark Cocker The Guardian 20080207)

"If the earth moves you, then this is where you''ll get all the best dirt on what lives, what dies and how everything in the soil is connected by an ever-expanding web of life. This is a book that can be read by naturalists and gardeners like a novel as the drama of the soil is churned forth, plowed through and dug into. You''ll learn about wolf spiders with glowing red eyes, snails with 120 rows of teeth, and lime molds, mites and roundworms in such a manner that they become allies in the fight to keep our earth and our soil healthy. This is a unique book written by a biologist who makes the case that life itself depends on how well we treat all those millions of creatures right under our soles."—Marianne Binetti, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

(Marianne Binetti Seattle Post-Intelligencer 20080301)

"Although most are microscopic, the trillions of species that inhabit the ground we walk on is astonishing. No book could describe them all; this one identifies larger groups: in the case of microbes we get only kingdoms, but for more complex animals, phyla, classes and even families. A very useful survey."—Gerry Rising, Buffalo News

(Gerry Rising Buffalo News )

"A missing entry in the book rack has long been a real in-depth book on the livestock in the soil. Jim Nardi has now filled that void. . . . The cast of characters in this underground drama runs into the millions. Nardi has the figures, and his book is punctuated with tables, diagrams, charts and artwork—his own art—which together make this book a most reasonable encyclopedia. Life in the Soil is published by the University of Chicago Press, price $25—actual worth, several times that much. Farmers and gardeners will walk into the light when they read this one, especially those who compost and measure life itself in terms of bio-correct growing."—ACRES USA: The Voice of Eco-Agriculture

(ACRES USA: The Voice of Eco-Agriculture )

"A must-read for anyone who wants a better understanding of this world and how to protect it."—

Adrian Higgins, Washington Post

(Adrian Higgins Washington Post )

"[I strongly recommend you] to go out and get this book, not from the library but from a store. It is well worth owning. Not only did I find it a great read, but it is a reference book I will turn to often. Nardi subtitles his book A Guide for Naturalists and Gardeners. This is apt as Life in the Soil does a fantastic job of describing (often in exquisite and fascinating detail) the major players on the soil food web stage. I couldn''t put it down. OK, I admit that I am a soil nerd, and naturally this kind of work would appeal to me, but honestly, each page contains so much information presented so well that all gardeners will benefit greatly from owning it. For starters, the book is extremely well-organized. All members of the animal kingdom are represented, and each group is accompanied by a fact box that contains the scientific classification, size, common names, their place in the soil food web and their impact on gardening. If the book contained only these boxes, it would be worth it. However, Nardi is a skilled scientific illustrator as well as a biologist. Almost every page has a detailed picture of the organisms (with size reference) he is describing, often showing not only the animal but its habitat, including those it eats or those that eat it. You will surely recognize animals you have seen before but were not able to identify. . . . From the ground squirrels you see in Denali to wireworms, caterpillars and moths, flies, wasps, ants, japygids and earwigs, Life in the Soil will help you understand and identify the life in your soil. Birders have their Petersons and Sibleys. There are guides to snakes, butterflies, mammals and all sorts of other natural things. Now we gardeners have a guide to the critters that make up the soil food web."—Jeff Lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News

(Jeff Lowenfels Achorange Daily News )

"This very inviting book about the mysterious world beneath one''s feet—too often shunned as simply ''dirt''—is beautifully illustrated with drawings and diagrams by Nardi. . . .The book is jam-packed with kernels of knowledge, especiall in handy ''fact boxes''. . . .This scientifically up-to-date book is also enjoyable to read it will be useful as a field guide and reference. Highly recommended."—Choice 

(Choice )

"[A] superb new book ... A splendid introduction to the world of soil. Not only does it provide an ample introduction to soils as a ''marriage of the mineral world and the organic world'' — that is, to basic soil science — it also furnishes the reader with an extensive account of the soil community, detailing organisms from kangaroo rats to microbes. . . . Crisp prose, color photos, and delightful illustrations (the author’s work) make Life in the Soil pleasingly complete without getting stuck in the mud. At approximately 300 pages, Soil can afford to dazzle as well as inform. The reader may emerge not only a more astute naturalist and steward of the soil, but also will come away with a few pleasing tidbits to share."—Liam Heneghan, Chicago Wilderness Magazine

(Liam Heneghan Chicago Wilderness Magazine )

"This delightful and insightful book tops all others we''ve read . . . on soil biology at a beginning to intermediate level. Here is science writing at its best: lucid and engaging."

(Hortideas )

"This is an invaluable popular review of the s (Clive A. Edwards Quarterly Review of Biology )

"Let me just come clean . . . right off the bat: I love this book. . . . Life in the Soil is what descriptive natural history books should all be, but too few actually are. It is appropriately detailed and comprehensive, but it is also easy and fun to read. The enthusiasm of the author and his own sense of wonder come through loud and clear in both his words and his artwork."—

Christopher T. Martine, Plant Science Bulletin

(Christopher T. Martine Plant Science Bulletin )

"This book fills an important niche missing in the soil science lexicon, that being an academic treatment of soils for a more wide ranging audience than most soil texts. . . . This book could be the missing link for introductory soils courses for nonmajors, fish and wildlife programs, soil biology courses, . . . forestry, natural resources, landscape ecology, horticulture, serious gardeners, and a general audience looking for more than the usual light treatment of soils. . . . I love this book and hope to incorporate it into my soils for non-majors class."—James Cassisy, Soil Science Society of America Journal

(James Cassidy Soil Science Society of America Journal )

About the Author

James B. Nardi is a biologist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Illinois Natural History Survey who gardens with the help of innumerable soil creatures.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (October 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226568520
• ISBN-13: 978-0226568522
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #200,820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Reading for Gardeners, Farmers, Military Officers, Environmentalists, and more, March 30, 2008

By 

Paula L. Craig (Falls Church, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Life in the Soil: A Guide for Naturalists and Gardeners (Paperback)

Like many other things about the soil, this book has far more relevance than it first appears. On the surface, it is a fine reference work about the soil and the living things in it. Good soil will have bacteria and fungi by the millions in every square foot, not to mention plant material and worms, insects, spiders, and other critters. Nardi discusses at length what it takes to make a crumbly loam that will soak in water, resist erosion, and provide the nutrients that crops need. If you're interested in studying wildlife without traveling further than your local backyard or park, Nardi also gives the basics of how to study the animals of the soil. He includes a section on soil problems, including preventing erosion and salinization, and how to maximize the benefit of any fertilizer that is applied. He emphasizes that pesticides can often do more harm than good. In a time of rising prices for fertilizer and pesticides, it is good to know that paying attention to your soil can bring dividends that chemicals won't. Highly recommended for gardeners, farmers, and environmentalists.

Nardi is low-key about the economic importance of his work, and says nothing about politics. He's not out to promote a cause; he's explaining what productive soil is, where it comes from, and how to keep it that way. The fact is, though, that soil degradation is a root cause of an astonishing number of conflicts around the world today. Nardi says nothing about Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel/Palestine, Somalia, or Sudan, but all of these countries have extremely degraded soil. I know of no book more important than Nardi's for persons interested in reducing poverty worldwide to have on their bookshelf. Ditto for anyone, whether in the military or not, who wants to promote peace. Studying a bucket of soil from a local farm can tell you more than anything else about why violence erupts again and again in some parts of the world. Solving soil problems before they get to the disaster stage can also play a major role in preventing conflict and upheaval--and the U.S. needs to look at its own soil in this context.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great look below the surface, October 11, 2008

By 

zen cello (Mount Rainier, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life in the Soil: A Guide for Naturalists and Gardeners (Paperback)

As a gardener, I really appreciated this look at the very complex world of the soil. Very few gardening sources go beyond describing the soil environment as wet/dry, clay/sand, acid/alkali. This instead is a window into the extremely mysterious and complex and lively world that our plants live in. Some of the creatures described are better than science fiction. It makes a great read and a great reference book. I wish I had time to carry out all the observations it suggests.
I have one editorial quibble - the book has very good illustrations, but the way they are called out in the text frequently doesn't really reflect what the illustrations show. Perhaps a further edition can fix this.
Beyond this, I've been recommending this book to every gardener I know.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful and interesting book, July 29, 2008

By 

Duo Cycler (Frederick, MD USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Life in the Soil: A Guide for Naturalists and Gardeners (Paperback)

We enjoyed this comprehensive and well written summary of the many organisms found in soils. It is full of fascinating information about soil organisms, is written for the layman, and includes several nice experiments which would be fun to do with children.