Because of humanity's effort to wipe out the prairie dog, the black-footed ferret teeters on the edge of extinction. The world below is little known. Until recently, scientists did not realize that microbial life existed some 10 feet under us, believing that life could not be sustained at that depth. Extremophile microbes, seems, are useful in remediating soil tainted from oil spills and chemical dumping. For example, while Charles Darwin is best known for his famous treatise The Origin of Species , Wolfe recounts Darwin's less well-known work, The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Action of Worms, a book that became a best seller in its day.
Worms keep soil healthy, serving to aerate and add nutrients through their fecal matter.
Wolfe explains that prairie dogs, a keystone species, are sophisticated land managers, keeping grasses trimmed to specific heights, and their burrowing and tunneling expertise benefits many other species. Prairie dog colonies were reduced from inhabiting 250 million acres in 1870 to 1.5 million acres by 1960. The poisoning of prairie dogs continues today. Tales From the Underground does not ignore agriculture, exploring the relationships of soil, plants and roots. The root underworld alone bursts with activity.