EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Most decomposers are microscopic organisms, including protozoa and bacteria. Other decomposers are big enough to see without a microscope. They include fungi along with invertebrate organisms sometimes called detritivores, which include earthworms, termites, and millipedes.

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: -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-4: -These nutrients enrich the soil that in turn helps new plants to grow, thus continuing the food chain. So what happens when the decomposers themselves die? You’ve probably guessed the answer by now. They become part of the detritus that other living decomposers will feast upon and recycle back into the food chain!

Detailed explanation-5: -Decomposers are also called saptrotrophs. They show saprotrophic mode of nutrition i.e. they feed on dead and decaying matters. For example, bacteria, fungi, etc. Autotrophs are producers which include plants. Phagotrophs or heterotrophs are consumers who depend on plants and animals for their nutrition.