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In recent years, the word detritus has also come to be used with aquariums (the word "aquarium" is a general term for any installation for keeping aquatic animals). When animals such as fish are kept in an aquarium, they produce substances such as excreta, mucus, and dead skin cast off during moulting. These substances naturally generate ...
detritivore (detritus feeder) - animals and plants that consume detritus (decomposing organic material), and in doing so contribute to decomposition and the recycling of nutrients. detritus - non-living particulate organic material (as opposed to dissolved organic material).
Detritus is dead or waste organic material. Detritus may also refer to: Detritus (geology), the particles of rock produced by weathering;
Detritus (/ d ə ˈ t r aɪ t ə s /; adj. detrital / d ə ˈ t r aɪ t əl /) is particles of rock derived from pre-existing rock through weathering and erosion. [1] A fragment of detritus is called a clast. [2] Detrital particles can consist of lithic fragments (particles of recognisable rock), or of monomineralic fragments (mineral grains).
The water content of most vegetal detritus ranges from 60% to 90%. The dry matter consists mainly of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. Although these three elements make up about 92% of the dry weight of the organic matter in the soil, other elements present are essential for the nutrition of plants, including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium ...
This detritus or dead organic material and its constituent nutrients are added to the top layer of soil, commonly known as the litter layer or O horizon ("O" for "organic"). Litter is an important factor in ecosystem dynamics , as it is indicative of ecological productivity and may be useful in predicting regional nutrient cycling and soil ...
Following this, the plant detritus (consisting of cellulose, hemicellulose, microbial metabolites, and lignin) undergoes chemical alteration by microbes. Different types of compounds decompose at different rates. This is dependent on their chemical structure. [55]
Detritivores (also known as detrivores, detritophages, detritus feeders or detritus eaters) are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus (decomposing plant and animal parts as well as feces). [1] There are many kinds of invertebrates, vertebrates, and plants that carry out coprophagy.