ECOLOGY
ENERGY FLOW AND THE FOOD CHAIN
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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Eats dead plants or animals and breaks down to put nutrients in the soil
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Eats plants or other animals for food
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Makes its own food
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Machine that gathers trash
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Detailed explanation-1: -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.
Detailed explanation-2: -When plants and animals die, they become food for decomposers like bacteria, fungi and earthworms. Decomposers or saprotrophs recycle dead plants and animals into chemical nutrients like carbon and nitrogen that are released back into the soil, air and water.
Detailed explanation-3: -Decomposers (fungi, bacteria, invertebrates such as worms and insects) have the ability to break down dead organisms into smaller particles and create new compounds. We use decomposers to restore the natural nutrient cycle through controlled composting.
Detailed explanation-4: -Decomposers and scavengers break down dead plants and animals. They also break down the waste (poop) of other organisms. Decomposers are very important for any ecosystem. If they weren’t in the ecosystem, the plants would not get essential nutrients, and dead matter and waste would pile up.
Detailed explanation-5: -Examples of decomposers are fungi and bacteria that obtain their nutrients from a dead plant or animal material. They break down the cells of dead organisms into simpler substances, which become organic nutrients available to the ecosystem.