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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 ...
"Detritivore" describes behavior and physiology, while "decomposer" describes an ecosystem role. Therefore, an organism can be both a detritivore and a decomposer. While there are also purely physical processes, like weathering and ultraviolet light , that contribute to decomposition, "decomposer" refers only to living organisms that contribute ...
Organisms that do this are known as decomposers or detritivores. Although no two organisms decompose in the same way, they all undergo the same sequential stages of decomposition. 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 ...
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.
Of these, bacteria and fungi play key roles in maintaining a healthy soil. They act as decomposers that break down organic materials to produce detritus and other breakdown products. Soil detritivores, like earthworms, ingest detritus and decompose it. Saprotrophs, well represented by fungi and bacteria, extract soluble nutrients from delitro ...
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. The products of the metabolisms of these organisms are the secondary sources of ...
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A food web depicting the energy flow from photoautotrophs through detritivores and decomposers. detritivore A heterotrophic organism which feeds primarily on detritus – decomposing bits of organic matter, such as plant litter. disturbance A temporary change in environmental conditions that causes a pronounced and longer-lasting change in an ...