For the last two centuries, humans have been changing the Earth
through their way of life. Our actions are not only causing climate
change and leading to prolonged periods of drought, they are
also leading to an overaccumulation of nutrients in soil, due to
burning of fossil fuels and fertilization of agricultural fields. Both
factors are threatening the world beneath our feet: the soils. They
may look rather boring and lifeless, but soils are actually home
to many organisms—from tiny bacteria to agile millipedes and
slimy earthworms—all of which contribute to processes that are
indispensable to life on Earth. For example, the activity of these
organisms promotes decomposition of plantmaterial, which ensures
that the farmlands on which we grow our food remain fertile. As
almost all soil organisms are very sensitive to changes in their
environments,wewanted to knowwhatwould happen if drought and
over-fertilization occurred togethe