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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the remains of the animals go to waste
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the remains of the animals stay around forever
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the remains of the animals are decomposed by fungi and bacteria
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Detailed explanation-1: -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-2: -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-3: -Without decomposers, dead leaves, dead insects, and dead animals would pile up everywhere. Imagine what the world would look like! More importantly, decomposers make vital nutrients available to an ecosystem’s primary producers-usually plants and algae.
Detailed explanation-4: -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-5: -Detritivores and decomposers are the final part of food chains. Detritivores are organisms that eat nonliving plant and animal remains. For example, scavengers such as vultures eat dead animals.