Page 57 - A Field Guide to Fairfax County's Plants and Wildlife
P. 57
Decomposers
When plants and animals die, they become food for
decomposers like bacteria and fungi. All decomposers play an
important role in the food web by breaking down nutrients in
the dead matter and returning them to the soil. Producers can
then use the nutrients to grow.
While decomposition allows the Earth to function, the process
can also be harmful to life. Algae blooms occur when excess
nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus, from the environment
are washed into a local water body. When the algae bloom
dies, the decomposition process depletes the dissolved
oxygen in lakes, ponds or rivers so that little or none is left at
the bottom. This lack of oxygen can harm or even kill other
aquatic organisms such as fish.
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When plants and animals die, they become food for
decomposers like bacteria and fungi. All decomposers play an
important role in the food web by breaking down nutrients in
the dead matter and returning them to the soil. Producers can
then use the nutrients to grow.
While decomposition allows the Earth to function, the process
can also be harmful to life. Algae blooms occur when excess
nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus, from the environment
are washed into a local water body. When the algae bloom
dies, the decomposition process depletes the dissolved
oxygen in lakes, ponds or rivers so that little or none is left at
the bottom. This lack of oxygen can harm or even kill other
aquatic organisms such as fish.
r 53 r
