Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Decomposers are organisms that break down organic matter and release the nutrients into the environment around them. Decomposition is a chemical process similar to digestion, and many sources use the words digestion and decomposition interchangeably. [ 1 ] In both processes, complex molecules are chemically broken down by enzymes into simpler ...
The terms detritivore and decomposer are often used interchangeably, but they describe different organisms. Detritivores are usually arthropods and help in the process of remineralization. Detritivores perform the first stage of remineralization, by fragmenting the dead plant matter, allowing decomposers to perform the second stage of ...
The science which studies decomposition is generally referred to as taphonomy from the Greek word taphos, meaning tomb. Decomposition can also be a gradual process for organisms that have extended periods of dormancy. [1] One can differentiate abiotic decomposition from biotic decomposition (biodegradation).
In biology, detritus (/ dɪˈtraɪtəs / or / dɛˈtrɪtəs /) is organic matter made up of the decomposing remains of organisms and plants, and also of feces. Detritus usually hosts communities of microorganisms that colonize and decompose (remineralise) it. Such microorganisms may be decomposers, detritivores, or coprophages.
Consumer (food chain) A consumer in a food chain is a living creature that eats organisms from a different population. A consumer is a heterotroph and a producer is an autotroph. Like sea angels, they take in organic moles by consuming other organisms, so they are commonly called consumers. Heterotrophs can be classified by what they usually ...
Microbiology of decomposition. 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 ...
A saprotroph is a type of decomposer that feeds exclusively on dead and decaying plant matter. [2] Saprotrophic organisms include fungi, bacteria, and water molds which are critical to decomposition and nutrient cycling, providing nutrition for consumers at higher trophic levels. They obtain nutrients via absorptive nutrition, in which ...
Scavenger. Sarcophaga nodosa, a species of flesh fly, feeding on decaying meat. White-backed vulture (Gyps africanus), lappet-faced vultures (Torgos tracheliotos) and marabou storks (Leptoptilos crumenifer) feeding on a dead spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta). Scavengers are animals that consume dead organisms that have died from causes other than ...