AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Nature has its own recycling system: a group of organisms called decomposers. Decomposers feed on dead things: dead plant materials such as leaf litter and wood, animal carcasses, and feces.

Detailed explanation-2: -Decomposers (fungi, bacteria, invertebrates such as worms and insects) have the ability to break down dead organisms into smaller particles and create new compounds.

Detailed explanation-3: -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-4: -Decomposition or rot is the process by which dead organic substances are broken down into simpler organic or inorganic matter such as carbon dioxide, water, simple sugars and mineral salts.