7.4.2 Decomposers

• Decomposers break down dead organic matter into simpler inorganic compounds
• What is the role of decomposers in nutrient cycling?

  Return nutrients to the environment
• Match the trophic level with its definition:

  Producers ↔️ Organisms that make their own food

  Consumers ↔️ Organisms that eat other organisms

  Decomposers ↔️ Organisms that break down dead matter
• The main types of decomposers in an ecosystem are fungi, bacteria, protists, and invertebrates
• Match the type of decomposer with an example:

  Fungi ↔️ Mushrooms

  Bacteria ↔️ Various species

  Protists ↔️ Slime molds
• What role do decomposers play in the overall productivity of an ecosystem?

  Maintain balance
• Match the trophic level with its role:

  Producers ↔️ Make their own food

  Consumers ↔️ Eat other organisms

  Decomposers ↔️ Recycle dead organic matter
• Decomposers return nutrients to the soil or water, making them available for producers
• Decomposers are essential for maintaining the balance and productivity of an ecosystem by recycling nutrients.

  True
• Give an example of a decomposer organism from the fungi group.

  Mushroom
• Producers are organisms that can produce their own food through photosynthesis
• Decomposers are essential for maintaining the balance and productivity of an ecosystem


  True
• Mushrooms, molds, and yeasts are examples of decomposers belonging to the type fungi
• Steps in how decomposers break down dead organic matter:

  1️⃣ Enzymatic action by fungi

  2️⃣ Feeding and digestion by bacteria

  3️⃣ Physical breakdown by invertebrates
• Decomposers recycle nutrients by breaking down dead organic matter
• What would happen to an ecosystem without decomposers?

  Nutrients become locked in dead organisms
• Arrange the following roles of decomposers in order of their contribution to ecosystem health:

  1️⃣ Nutrient Cycling

  2️⃣ Ecosystem Balance

  3️⃣ Decomposition Process
• What are decomposers in an ecosystem?

  Organisms that break down dead organic matter
• Producers are organisms that can produce their own food through photosynthesis.


  True
• Why are decomposers essential for ecosystem balance?

  Recycle nutrients
• Invertebrates such as earthworms act as decomposers by physically breaking down organic matter.


  True
• Decomposers return nutrients to the soil or water, making them available for producers
• What are the four main types of decomposers in an ecosystem?

  Fungi, bacteria, protists, invertebrates
• How do decomposers contribute to nutrient cycling in an ecosystem?

  By recycling dead matter
• The main types of decomposers in an ecosystem are fungi, bacteria, protists, and invertebrates
• What do decomposers return into the soil or water during nutrient cycling?

  Nutrients
• Match the trophic level with its definition:

  Consumers ↔️ Organisms that consume others for food

  Decomposers ↔️ Organisms that break down dead organic matter
• What are the main types of decomposers in an ecosystem?

  Fungi, bacteria, protists, invertebrates
• Match the type of decomposer with an example:

  Fungi ↔️ Mushrooms

  Bacteria ↔️ Various species
• Decomposition releases nutrients back into the soil or water for producers to use


  True
• What is the role of producers in nutrient cycling?

  Produce their own food
• Match the trophic level with its role in energy flow:

  Producers ↔️ Capture sunlight energy

  Consumers ↔️ Obtain energy by consuming others

  Decomposers ↔️ Recycle nutrients
• Decomposers release nutrients from dead organic matter, making them available for producers


  True