The soil has a pH greater than 8, which the fungus could not tolerate. The most abundant organisms in the soil are bacteria. See Soil Bacteria for more information. A gram of fertile soil may contain 1 billion bacteria. They can be divided into 2 large groups based on their carbon source.
Heterotrophic bacteria require carbon compounds as a food source.
They are extremely important in decomposing organic matter. See Carbon Cycle also for additional material.