Soil is a mixture of broken rocks and minerals, living organisms, and decaying organic matter. Whatever the soil types are, organisms in the soil need air and water to survive. In general, the soil minerals provide physical support for the plants while the organic matter contains many of the nutrients essential for plant growth. Water and air are required by all living organisms including plants for growth. All the living things in the soil, plus essential materials that these organisms use to survive, form the soil ecosystem. Plants grow in and from soils, and plants feed almost all life on Earth. Without soils, life would not exist as we know it.