Science glossary · South Africa
Decomposer
A living thing that breaks down dead plants and animals and returns nutrients to the soil.
Mushrooms and other fungi, bacteria and many worms and insects are decomposers. They recycle nutrients so that plants can use them.
Example: Fungi growing on a fallen log are decomposers.
Lessons, worksheets, practice and tools on this: Ecosystems and food webs.
Related words
- Food web: A diagram of all the food chains in an ecosystem and how they link.
- Producer: A living thing that makes its own food, usually a plant.
- Ecosystem: All the living things in an area and the nonliving things they interact with.
- Consumer: A living thing that gets its energy by eating other living things.
- Predator: An animal that hunts and eats other animals.
- Prey: An animal that is hunted and eaten by another animal.