From a team of award-winning scientists, a visual exploration of the microorganisms teeming beneath our feet, from the awe-inspiring to the shiver-inducing—this is the hidden story of soil told through the creatures who sustain it, no longer invisible
Life above ground certainly garners most of our attention, from flora to fauna easily spotted with our own eyes. Life in the soil, however, does not often receive the same attention, despite how much we rely on it to grow our plants and protect our natural resources. But with help from the latest in macrophotography technology, The Soil Zoo introduces us to this underground world in a completely new way, compelling us to shift our focus to the microcosm that forms the basis of all higher life—even if they’re not visible to the naked eye.
By using electron microscopes and high-tech cameras to photograph soil from Germany’s Black Forest, Nicole Ottawa and Oliver Meckes reveal springtails chewing on deadwood, ciliates feeding on bacteria, amoebas hunting nematodes, voracious mites, and fungi and lichens forming networks. Through accompanying text, Veronika Straass and Claus-Peter Lieckfeld expand our understanding of this astonishingly vibrant world through enlightening stories and deeply researched data.
An ecological building block, soil is essential to the health of our planet and all of us who inhabit it—including the up to ten billion organisms that can inhabit a handful of soil, their life cycles ranging from a few hours to entire centuries. This blend of photography and text invites us to marvel at the teeming organisms that work diligently out of sight and underfoot to maintain a foundation of life on planet Earth. From inquisitive gardeners to science-loving readers, everyone will be captivated by these weird and wonderful micro creatures who remind us of the importance of treating our planet with care and curiosity.
“Science book of the year by Bild der Wissenschaft, 1st place in the aesthetics category
"With Drecksarbeit, a competent team of four has created a compelling work of art that offers something new on every page. The book dispenses with a representative cover and relies entirely on the power of large-format images. The concise yet highly informative texts serve the photographs well. They provide compact and sometimes curious knowledge. An all-round successful illustrated book that invites you to leaf through it again and again. Far too good to be left to gather dust on the bookshelf.”—Michael Lange, jury member for Bild der Wissenschaft
“Magnificent... The magazine ‘Bild der Wissenschaft’ was right to name this volume ... the most beautiful science book of the year.”—Der Spiegel
“Dirt has never been so attractive! . . . The authors manage to describe the micro world beneath us in such an exciting way that you suddenly feel like making compost and embracing humus ... Who is this book for? It is a great gift for all nature lovers, teachers, and those involved in environmental education. Or simply for people who can't stop being fascinated by the diversity of our living creatures.”—Bavarian Academy for Nature Conservation and Landscape Management
“Both a lesson in humility and a fascinating glimpse of nature.”—Denis Brudna, Photonews
“The book is an absolute must-read and clearly a suitable gift for many people. It is an exciting experience for laypeople, and even soil ecologists will enjoy the extraordinary photographs and learn a thing or two from the texts.”—Björn Lohmann, spektrum.de
“The book succeeds in making the invisible visible and providing inspiring insights into a world unknown to us. This makes it an important contribution to raising awareness of soil. (…) already a classic and a cornerstone of educational work! Definitely worth a look!”—Nature in North Rhine-Westphalia
“They do the dirty work for us: bacteria, fungi, worms, and other creatures from the earth. Yet we know very little about them. Two authors have explored how rich and useful life in the soil is.”—FAZonline
“The book is rigorously structured and much more than just an illustrated book ... Leafing through the book is akin to visiting a zoo ... technically first-class images in sometimes dizzying enlargements and never-before-seen details – accompanied by deeply insightful texts.”—Photography
“An ingenious illustrated book that will enchant even those who are skeptical of dirt and creepy-crawlies. With a tardigrade as cover girl, sporting a giraffe pattern to boot, you can't go wrong.”—Julia Sica, Der Standard
“We should all know better by now – and above all, do better. One approach to this is to engage with books such as Drecksarbeit.”—Sylvia Treudl, Buchkultur