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The term "decomposer" refers to a role in an ecosystem, not to a particular class or type of organism, or even to a specific capacity of those organisms. [5] The definition of "decomposer" therefore centers on the outcome of the decomposition process, rather than the types of organisms performing it.
Prime decomposers are bacteria or fungi, though larger scavengers also play an important role in decomposition if the body is accessible to insects, mites and other animals. Additionally, [ 3 ] soil animals are considered key regulators of decomposition at local scales but their role at larger scales is unresolved.
Decomposing pig showing signs of bloat and discoloration, a result of microbial proliferation within the body.. Microbiology of decomposition is the study of all microorganisms involved in decomposition, the chemical and physical processes during which organic matter is broken down and reduced to its original elements.
They fill essential roles as decomposers and food sources for lower trophic levels, and are necessary to drive processes within larger organisms. Populations of microfauna can reach up to ~10 7 (~10,000,000) individuals per g −1 (0.1g, or 1/10th of a gram) and are very common in plant litter, surface soils, and water films. [ 3 ]
In water ecosystems, relatively little waste collects on the water bed, and so the progress of decomposition in water takes a more important role. Investigating the level of inorganic salts in sea ecosystems shows that unless there is an especially large supply, the quantity increases from winter to spring—but is normally extremely low in summer.
The microbial decomposers are included in the SOM and form a food web of organisms that prey upon each other and subsequently become prey. Above detritivores , there are also herbivores that consume fresh vegetal matter, the residue of which then passes to the soil.
Fungi are the primary decomposers in most environments, illustrated here Mycena interrupta. Saprophages are organisms that obtain nutrients by consuming decomposing dead plant or animal biomass. [1] They are distinguished from detritivores in that saprophages are sessile consumers while detritivores are mobile.
The mechanism presented is that ectomycorrhizal fungi can compete with free-living decomposers for nutrients, and thereby limit the rate of total decomposition. Since then there have been several other reports of ectomycorrhizal fungi reducing activity and decomposition rates of free-living decomposers and thereby increasing soil carbon storage.