decomposer
(noun)
any organism that feeds off decomposing organic material, especially bacterium or fungi
Examples of decomposer in the following topics:
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Fungi Habitat, Decomposition, and Recycling
- Fungi are the major decomposers of nature; they break down organic matter which would otherwise not be recycled.
- In these environments, fungi play a major role as decomposers and recyclers, making it possible for members of the other kingdoms to be supplied with nutrients and to live.
- The food web would be incomplete without organisms that decompose organic matter .
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Protists as Plant Pathogens
- Many protists act as parasites that prey on plants or as decomposers that feed on dead organisms.
- Describe the ways in which protists act as decomposers and the actions of parasitic protists on plants
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Physical Properties of Soil
- The O horizon has freshly-decomposing organic matter, humus, at its surface, with decomposed vegetation at its base.
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Ecological Succession
- In addition, as these early species grow and die, they add to an ever-growing layer of decomposing organic material, contributing to soil formation.
- Those organisms that could not escape are killed, but their bodies decompose, adding nutrients to the soil.
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The Sulfur Cycle
- Sulfur is deposited on land as precipitation, fallout, and rock weathering, and reintroduced when organisms decompose.
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Soil Formation
- Additionally, leaves and other material that fall from plants decompose and contribute to soil composition.
- Materials are deposited over time, decompose, and transform into other materials that can be used by living organisms or deposited onto the surface of the soil.
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Fungi Cell Structure and Function
- Fungi are unicellular or multicellular thick-cell-walled heterotroph decomposers that eat decaying matter and make tangles of filaments.
- They obtain their nutrients from dead or decomposing organic matter, mainly plant material.
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Freshwater Biomes
- When the algae die and decompose, severe oxygen depletion of the water occurs.
- When the leaves decompose, the organic material and nutrients in the leaves are returned to the water.
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The Role of Energy and Metabolism
- Carnivores eat the herbivores, and decomposers digest plant and animal matter.
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Characteristics of Fungi
- Like bacteria, fungi play an essential role in ecosystems because they are decomposers and participate in the cycling of nutrients by breaking down organic and inorganic materials to simple molecules.