The chemistry and fertility of soils have been of concern to humans since ancient times. One of the earliest books to correctly identify the soil as the source of plant mineral nutrients is Organic Chemistry in its Application to Agriculture and Physiology, authored by the German chemist Justus von Liebig (1803-1873) and published in 1840. Liebig's book was based, in part, on research conducted and reported in the 1820s and 1830s by German agronomist Carl Sprengel (1787-1859). Although this field still includes study of plant nutrients, modern research is also focused on the reactions and chemistry of pollutants such as mercury, arsenic, and organic pesticides in soils.

The sundew (Drosera petiolaris), found in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, utilizes the sticky, shiny droplets on the end of its stem to trap small insects, which it digests to supplement the lack of nitrogen and phosphate in...