It is equal to an employee's rate of basic pay for his or her position (see definition of rate of basic pay) (exclusive of any premiums or differentials paid at less than the basic rate) except for an employee who is authorized annual premium pay for scheduled standby duty or AUO.
All soil is full of life, and good soils are teeming with it. Plants and animals help keep the soil fertile. Plant roots tunnel through the soil and break it up, and decaying plants form humus. Burrowing animals mix the soil; the excrete of animals contribute nutrients and improve soil structure.
This soil food web is the basis of healthy, living soil. Significant soil organisms involved in the soil food web include: 1) bacteria, 2) fungi, 3) protozoa, 4) nematodes, 5) arthropods, and 6) earthworms. 1  Bacteria â Bacteria are simple, single-celled microorganisms.2  Bacteria inhabit a wide variety of habitats, including soil. Bacteria that improve soil quality feed on soil organisms, decompose organic matter, help keep nutrients in the root zone, enhance soil structure, compete with disease-causing organisms, and filter and degrade pollutants in soil. 2  Fungi â Fungi are a diverse group of multi-cellular organisms.