AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Microbes Decompose and Recycle the Dead Without microbes, the earth would be filled with corpses. Bacteria break down (or decompose) dead organisms, animal waste, and plant litter to obtain nutrients.

Detailed explanation-2: -A bacterium, though, is alive. Although it is a single cell, it can generate energy and the molecules needed to sustain itself, and it can reproduce.

Detailed explanation-3: -Bacteria, on the other hand, are living organisms that consist of single cell that can generate energy, make its own food, move, and reproduce (typically by binary fission).

Detailed explanation-4: -Decomposers play a critical role in the flow of energy through an ecosystem. They break apart dead organisms into simpler inorganic materials, making nutrients available to primary producers.