AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Decomposers feed on dead things: dead plant materials such as leaf litter and wood, animal carcasses, and feces. They perform a valuable service as Earth’s cleanup crew. Without decomposers, dead leaves, dead insects, and dead animals would pile up everywhere.

Detailed explanation-2: -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-3: -Decomposer: An organism, often a bacterium, fungus, or invertebrate that feeds on and breaks down dead plant or animal matter, making organic nutrients available to the ecosystem. Or: ‘FBI’ (fungi, bacteria, invertebrates)

Detailed explanation-4: -The organisms that carry out the process of decay or breakdown of the dead organism are known as decomposers and the process of breaking down complex organic matter into its simpler form is referred to as decomposition.

Detailed explanation-5: -This process is called “composting” and the final product of composting is called “compost”. Generally speaking there are two processes that yield compost: ANAEROBIC (without oxygen) decomposition.