ScienceAugust 26, 2026
springtails
SPRING-taylz
Definition
Small, wingless hexapods found in soil that help break down organic matter by fragmenting dead leaves.
Etymology
The word is a compound of the English 'spring' and 'tail,' referring to the forked, tail-like appendage the insects use to jump or 'spring' away from danger.
In the news
Springtails are identified as key decomposers in forest soil that assist in fragmenting leaves, making the organic material accessible to other microorganisms.
A single teaspoon of soil from a healthy forest floor contains more living organisms — bacteria, fungi, protists, nematodes — than there are humans on Earth, and most of the species in that spoonful have never been named or described
Read the full article ↗ScienceBlog.com