ABSTRACT
Soils are living, breathing, historical entities that cover the Earth's surface. Although clearly important for agriculture, they have broader significance to our society. Across the Earth, soils vary greatly in age, but most are at least 10,000 years old and many approach millions of years in age. When exposed to the elements over geologic time, they acquire physical and chemical features peculiar to the bedrock and climate of the region. Soils have an obvious economic value, particularly from an agricultural perspective. However, unused soil holds potential economic value beyond agricultural uses. We know little about the geographical distribution of soil microorganisms and their metabolic capabilities. Landscapes and soils once considered commonplace and disposable are now being reduced to scattered landscape fragments. Compounding this problem is the fact that unlike rare living species, soils do not reproduce and are likely to be the result of singular circumstances that occurred over the full course of millions of years.
