AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -decomposer. noun. organism that breaks down dead organic material; also sometimes referred to as detritivores . ecosystem.

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: -Decomposers are made up of the FBI (fungi, bacteria and invertebrates-worms and insects). They are all living things that get energy by eating dead animals and plants and breaking down wastes of other animals.

Detailed explanation-4: -Decomposers eat dead materials and break them down into chemical parts. Nitrogen, carbon and other nutrients can then be used again by plants and animals. Without decomposers and scavengers, the world would be covered with dead plants and animals!

Detailed explanation-5: -Bacteria and fungi are called decomposer because they break down the dead and decaying organic matter into a simpler substance. It provides the nutrients back to the soil.