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Decomposition is defined as a process in which dead organic substances are converted into simple organic and inorganic compounds. It is an important process in an ecosystem. It will keep the ecosystem clean and make our soil fertile.
- The decomposition process is done by the organisms called decomposers.
- It is a five-stage process that maintains the balance in an ecosystem.
- Biotic and abiotic decomposition are two different types of decomposition.
- Carbon dioxide, water, simple sugars and mineral salts are some of the compounds formed during the process.
- Decomposition is also referred to as rot or taphonomy.
- The organic substances are acted upon by microorganisms.
- Fungi and bacteria are special engines required for the process of decomposition.
Read More: Microbodies
Key Terms: Decomposition, Bacteria, Fungi, Organic Matter, Inorganic Substances, Enzymes, Nutrients, Water, Ecosystem, Plants, Biotic, Abiotic Decomposition
What is Decomposition?
Decomposition is a process of breaking down the complex organic substances (eg, fallen leaves or animal wastes) into small organic or inorganic substances like nutrients, water and carbon dioxide.
- Bacteria and Fungi are the organisms mainly involved in the decomposition process.
- They secrete enzymes which help in digestion of the dead organic matter.
- It can later be used by the plants as a source of nutrients.
- The rate of the decomposition process increases when the temperature and moisture is high.
- The organisms(bacteria or microbes) which break down complex organic matters are called Decomposers.
- Detritivores are organisms fed on the organic matters of dead animals and plants.
- Dead remains of plants such as fallen leaves, barks, flowers and animal wastes including faecal matters are known as Detritus.
Decomposition Process
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Types of Decomposition
There are two types of decomposition, they are:
Biotic Decomposition
In Biotic Decomposition, the degradation is done by physical or chemical substances. It comprises of living organism that depend upon on each other for survival. They are responsible for building and shaping the environment. For example: hydrolysis.
Abiotic Decomposition
In Abiotic Decomposition, the degradation of substances is done by living organisms. It is non-living part of the environment that are responsible for survial and reproduction in the environment. For example:Rotting of fruits and vegetables.
Stages of Decomposition
There are five stages in decomposition which are explained below:
Fragmentation
Fragmentation is the first stage of the decomposition process. In this process, the invertebrates (Detitivoes) feed on the dead remains of plants and animals(Detritus). The complex organic matter passes through the digestive tract of detritivores and is degraded into small particles.
Leaching
Leaching is the second stage of the decomposition process. In this process, the water-soluble organic particles are transferred to the soil horizon and precipitated as unavailable salt.
Catabolism
Catabolism is the third stage of the decomposition process. The detritus is converted into small inorganic compounds after breaking down the complex organic matter and removing water-soluble nutrients. This process is done by various bacteria and fungi(Decomposers)
Read More: Difference Between Catabolism and Anabolism
Humification
The above three stages are simultaneous. After that, the detritus is converted into humus. The process of formation of humus is known as humification, and it is a rich fertilizer for the soil. It is highly resistant to microbial actions, so it decomposes extremely slowly. This stage of decomposition takes more time than other stages.
Mineralization
This is the last stage of the decomposition process. In this, some microbes convert the humus (colloidal nature) into inorganic nutrients. The inorganic nutrients are again used by plants, and again, the food chain begins.
Read More: Classification of Animal Kingdom
Factors affecting Decomposition
Many factors are affecting the decomposition of dead plants and animals. In this section, we are going to see about factors influencing decomposition in detail:
Oxygen level
Decomposers need oxygen to respire. If the oxygen level of the atmosphere increases, the speed of decomposition will also increase. But if the oxygen level of the atmosphere decreases, the decomposition speed will decrease respectively.
Soil Texture
In loose textured soil, oxygen will easily penetrate, making microbes grow and quickly decompose the dead plant and animal. However, in composite soils like clay, the air penetration is less, so the decomposition is slow.
Read More: Taxonomic Hierarchy of Plants and Animals
Moisture
Moisture has direct and indirect effects on decomposition. If moisture in the soil increases, it slows down the breakdown of organic matter because water fills the air bubbles in the soil.
- It results in less microbe respiration.
- All organisms need water; if the soil is dry, microorganisms cannot survive, which directly results in slow decomposition.
The pH of Soil
The pH of the soil determines the acidic or alkaline nature of the soil. Fungi and bacteria are the major microbes that help in the decomposition process. Fungi live in mildly acidic environments, whereas some bacteria cannot survive in an acidic environment.
- Bacteria will survive in soil that has above pH 6.
- So, the pH of soil directly affects the microbe's growth and the decomposition of organisms.
Temperature
Soil bacteria growth depends on the temperature of the atmosphere. For every 10 degrees increase in Fahrenheit, the growth of bacteria doubles. It results in high organic matter breakdown. So decomposition occurs faster in warm weather than in cold weather.
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Things to Remember:
- Decomposition is a part of the ecosystem, which is composed of five stages.
- It is defined as the process of breaking down complex organic matter into simple inorganic matter.
- The organisms which decompose the dead plants and animals are known as decomposers
- Fragmentation, leaching, catabolism, humification and mineralization are the five stages of decomposition.
- The five stages of death are followed by skeletonization and fossilization.
- Some factors affecting the decomposition process are oxygen level, soil texture, moisture, pH of soil and temperature.
- The decomposition rate depends on climatic conditions and dead animal or plant quality and quantity.
Read More: Biome Vs Ecosystem
Sample Questions
Ques. Name some decomposer bacteria? (2 marks)
Ans. Bacteria is a type of decomposers that are responsible for breaking of dead and decaying organic matter. They provide different types of nutrients back to the soil. There are many decomposer bacteria, some of them are Bacillus Subtitles, Pseudomonas Fluorescens.
Ques. What factor affects the rate of decomposition? (2 marks)
Ans. Decomposition is a part of the ecosystem that breaks down complex organic matter into simple inorganic matter. The factors affecting the rate of decay are
- Temperature
- Moisture
- Oxygen
- Quantity and quality of dead organisms.
Ques. Difference between decomposers and detritivores? (3 marks)
Ans. The difference between decomposers and detritivores are as follows:
| Decomposers | Detritivores |
|---|---|
| Decomposers are some bacterias that break down the complex organic matter into simple inorganic substances | Detritivores are some small organisms that fed on the dead remains of plants and animals |
| It is an organism which uses enzymes to break down detritus into inorganic substances. | It is an organism that helps in the breakdown of detritus into little fragments. |
| Eg. Bacteria | Eg. Worms and some insects |
Ques. Explain the process of decomposition in short? (5 marks)
Ans. The decomposition process comprises 5 stages, they are fragmentation, leaching, catabolism, humification and mineralization.
- First, in fragmentation, the detritus is degraded into small pieces
- Second, in Leaching the water-soluble organic nutrients are absorbed by the soil and the inorganic substances left behind
- Third, in Catabolism the complex inorganic substances are breakdown into small pieces
- Fourth, in the Humification process, the humus is formed which is a fertile reserve
- Next, in mineralisation, the humus is converted into inorganic nutrients by microbes.
Ques. What are Detritivores and Detritus? (2 marks)
Ans.
Some Organisms feed on the organic matter of dead animals and plants; those organisms are known as Detritivores. They are important ingredients in the process of remineralization. They are divided on the basis of size and biomass.Dead remains of plants, such as fallen leaves, barks, flowers and animal wastes, including faecal matter, are known as Detritus. It includes the body of dead organisms and faecal forms of materials. It colonizes and decomposes microorganisms.
Ques. What are the types of decomposition? (2 marks)
Ans. The two types of decomposition are:
- Biotic Decomposition: In this process, the degradation is done by physical or chemical substances. It comprises of living organism that depend upon on each other for survival. For example: hydrolysis.
- Abiotic Decomposition: In this process, the degradation of substances is done by living organisms. It is non-living part of the environment that are responsible for survial and reproduction in the environment. For example:Rotting of fruits and vegetables.
Ques. How does the texture and pH level of the soil affect decomposition? (4 marks)
Ans.
When the texture of the soil is loose, oxygen will easily penetrate and make microbes grow and decompose the dead plant and animal quickly. But in composite soils like clay, the air penetration is less, so the decomposition is slow- The pH of the soil determines the acidic or alkaline nature of the soil.
- Fungi and bacteria are the major microbes that help in the decomposition process.
- Fungi live in mildly acidic environments, whereas some bacteria cannot survive in an acidic environment.
- Bacteria will survive in soil that has above pH 6.
- So, soil pH directly affects the microbes growth and the organism's decomposition.
Ques. Is decomposition a metabolic process? (3 marks)
Ans. Decomposition is a metaboilic process that first take raw materials from the environmental surroundings. The raw material are in the form of complex compounds. In next stage, processing of complex organic compound take place.
- Next it convert complex organic compounds into simpler compounds.
- It will produces nutrients such as carbon dioxide, and water.
- Bacteria and fungi are main substances that are involved in the process of decomposition.
Ques. Explain the process of leaching and catabolism? (2 marks)
Ans. The process of leaching and catabolism is as follows:
- Leaching: Leaching is the second stage of the decomposition process. In this process, the water-soluble organic particles are transferred to the soil horizon and precipitated as unavailable salt.
- Catabolism: Catabolism is the third stage of the decomposition process. The detritus is converted into small inorganic compounds after breaking down the complex organic matter and removing water-soluble nutrients. This process is done by various bacteria and fungi(Decomposers).
Ques. Explain the process of humification and mineralization? (2 marks)
Ans. The process of humification and mineralization is as follows:
- Humification: In this stage, the process of formation of humus take place and is known as humification. It is a rich fertilizer for the soil. It is highly resistant to microbial actions, so it decomposes extremely slowly. This stage of decomposition takes more time than other stages.
- Mineralization: This is the last stage of the decomposition process. In this, some microbes convert the humus (colloidal nature) into inorganic nutrients. The inorganic nutrients are again used by plants, and again, the food chain begins.
Ques. How oxygen level and soil texture affects the decomposition process? (3 marks)
Ans. Decomposers need oxygen and soil to respire. If the oxygen level of the atmosphere increases, the speed of decomposition will also increase. But if the oxygen level of the atmosphere decreases, the decomposition speed will decrease respectively.
- In loose textured soil, oxygen will easily penetrate.
- It will make microbes grow and quickly decompose the dead plant and animal.
- However, in composite soils like clay, the air penetration is less, so the decomposition is slow.
Ques. Explain the decomposition process of animals? (2 marks)
Ans. When any type of animal dies in a forest then, the body of the animal is left to decompose in the forest. This process of leaving the body of the animal to decompose is called carrion. Carrion is the remains of the dead organism. The decomposition process begins when different forms of vertebrates, invertebrates, and microbes feast or feed on a carcass, leading to its eventual disintegration.
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