What is the Role of Decomposers in an Ecosystem

What is the role of a decomposer in an ecosystem?

• capture the energy of sunlight for plants to make food

• produce oxygen for plants and animals

• break down dead organisms and their wastes

• transport nutrients and other materials among organisms

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Which organisms are examples of decomposers?

• rabbits

• lions

• fungi

• trees

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Bacteria have no way to store excess food, so in order to stay active, they

• store excess food as sugar like animals do.

• stay close to fungi and get energy from them.

• remain in sunny areas so they can make their own food.

• live in places where they can be surrounded by food sources.

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When a decomposer dies, its once-living material becomes waste. These wastes are

then

• converted into energy that can be used.

• transformed into bacteria that fungi can eat.

• further decomposed by producers and consumers.

• released into the air, soil, and water of an ecosystem.

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Compost takes advantage of natural processes to

• increase the temperature on Earth.

• help return matter to their ecosystem.

• provide animals with clean drinking water.

• release harmful metals into the environment.

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While hiking through a nearby forest, you find some fungi growing on a tree stump.

What role does the fungi play in this forest ecosystem?

• It breaks down dead tree matter.

• It eats living organisms and their wastes.

• It uses sunlight to produce energy for the tree.

• It produces oxygen that other forest organisms use to survive.

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You build a compost pile using kitchen waste like egg shells and banana peels. Three

weeks later, you check your compost. Which of the following observations is the BEST

evidence of decomposition?

• There was no color change.

• There was no change in smell.

• The kitchen scraps became smaller over time.

• The kitchen scraps and the container became cold in temperature.

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While on a safari in South Africa, you see some vultures pulling meat off the bones of a

large, dead mammal. Which of the following observations accurately describes how

vultures are different from fungi?

• Vultures produce juices to digest dead material.

• Vultures break down tiny food pieces into soil.

• Fungi leave behind waste while breaking down food.

• Vultures break down large food pieces into small food pieces.

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These fallen apples will decompose and some substances from the decomposing apples

will return to the apple trees. Which of the following decomposer wastes can apple trees

in this forest use again?

• oxygen released into the water

• carbon dioxide released into the air

• methane released into the air

• nutrients released into the water

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You are studying the difference between fungal growth and bacterial growth over time.

When the experiment is over, you remove the source of food for the fungi and bacteria.

You discover that the fungus survives much longer than the bacteria after their food is

gone.

Which of the following BEST explains these results?

• Fungi go dormant to survive longer.

• Fungi can produce energy from sunlight.

• Fungi do not need food matter to live and grow.

• Fungi can store excess food for long-term survival.

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