The Four Ecosystem Processes: Soil Health’s Greatest Hits
- West Lambert
- Sep 4
- 3 min read
Soil health gets a lot of buzz these days. Test kits, top-10 tip lists, and certification logos all promise to get your soil “regenerated” by next quarter.
But if you zoom out—way out—soil health is just the ground-level expression of something much bigger:
The four ecosystem processes.
These aren’t practices or philosophies. They’re the foundational functions that keep any living system (including your land) working, adapting, and evolving.
So if you’re looking for a soil health checklist—well, sorry. But if you want to understand what to observe, what to track, and what actually matters across all farm types and management systems? These four are it.
🌞 1. Energy Flow
We receive more energy from the sun in one hour than humanity uses in an entire year. The question isn’t whether the energy is there—it’s whether your land is capturing it.
Photosynthesis is the engine that drives all other ecosystem functions. Plants turn sunlight, water, and CO₂ into sugars—fuel for everything from microbes to livestock to your own breakfast.
So what should you look for?
Do you have living plants growing on the land for as much of the year as possible?
Are you maximizing canopy layering—with varied plant heights, growth habits, and architecture—to capture sunlight at multiple levels?
Healthy energy flow means you’re catching solar dollars before they turn into atmospheric pennies.
“As above, so below.” More aboveground biomass means more root exudates feeding microbial life underground.
💧 2. Water Cycle
Ever irrigated all summer only to watch your field crust over and crack? Water isn’t just about quantity—it’s about cycling.
A functional water cycle slows, sinks, and stores water. A degraded one sheds, bakes, and bleeds it.
Ask yourself:
Does rainfall infiltrate or run off?
Does your soil hold water like a sponge or repel it like concrete?
Do plants wilt quickly even after a decent rain?
Plants influence weather too—some even release microbes into the air that help form clouds and stimulate rain .
The best water storage isn’t in tanks or ponds—it’s in carbon-rich, aggregated soils.
⛏️ 3. Mineral Cycle
This is more than fertilizer spreadsheets. It’s the dance between decomposition, digestion, and diversity.
Modern ag is obsessed with soluble nutrients. But only 4% of a plant’s dry matter is minerals. The rest? Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen—photosynthesis-derived. And guess what fuels that process? Biology.
What to observe:
Do residues break down or just sit there?
Are you seeing worm castings, fungal strands, or decomposing litter?
Do you notice odor or off-gassing (a sign of incomplete cycling)?
Up to 80–90% of plant nutrient needs can be met through microbial partnerships . Roots don’t eat fertilizer—they form relationships.
🌿 4. Community Dynamics
This one gets skipped in most soil talks—but it’s the most human of all the processes.
Community dynamics describe how species interact with each other. That includes plants, microbes, insects, livestock, fungi, and yes—humans.
Imagine trying to build a community with only plumbers. You might get your pipes fixed, but you’ll starve, freeze, and get lonely. It’s the same with your soil.
Resilience comes from diversity.
What to watch for:
Do you have more than one plant species at work?
Are beneficial insects, fungi, and ground-dwellers part of your system?
How does your land respond to stress—like drought, grazing, or frost?
Research shows there’s a diversity tipping point—around 7–9 species—after which microbial and plant communities become more stable and productive.
And remember: It’s not the cow. It’s the how.
Final Thoughts: Focus on Function, Not Just Features
Soil health is more than aggregate stability or organic matter levels. It’s about whether your land is functioning—cycling nutrients, supporting life, holding water, and responding to change.
Start with these four processes:
☀️ Energy Flow
💧 Water Cycle
⛏️ Mineral Cycle
🌿 Community Dynamics
Observe. Listen. Adjust. Steward.
That’s the work. That’s the art.
And it’s how we actually leave the land better than we found it.
Curious how these processes show up on your land?
Let’s dig into it—figuratively and literally.
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