(3.1.3.2-003) The Control of the Introduction of Soil Microbial Species

Soil is a complex living entity composed of microbes, fungi as well as flora such as plants and larger fauna such as crustations, insects and worms.

When building a soil for an Orbital Habitat should the organisms it contains be carefully selected prior to introduction? The alternative is to just choose a relatively healthy terrestrial soil and introduce it en-mass without too much care.

The first method seems likely to provide data for future use but may well miss some very important relationships between included and excluded species. The second method seems to assume that nature knows best and that if introduced without too much care it will soon sort itself out.

Perhaps one method produces a more stable result than the other.