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  2. Decomposer - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decomposer

    The term "decomposer" refers to a role in an ecosystem, not to a particular class or type of organism, or even to a specific capacity of those organisms. [5] The definition of "decomposer" therefore centers on the outcome of the decomposition process, rather than the types of organisms performing it.

  3. Decomposition - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decomposition

    The process is a part of the nutrient cycle and is essential for recycling the finite matter that occupies physical space in the biosphere. Bodies of living organisms begin to decompose shortly after death. Although no two organisms decompose in the same way, they all undergo the same sequential stages of decomposition.

  4. Soil biology - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_biology

    Nitrification is a vital part of the nitrogen cycle, wherein certain bacteria (which manufacture their own carbohydrate supply without using the process of photosynthesis) are able to transform nitrogen in the form of ammonium, which is produced by the decomposition of proteins, into nitrates, which are available to growing plants, and once ...

  5. Forest ecology - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_ecology

    Forest pathology is the research of both biotic and abiotic maladies affecting the health of a forest ecosystem, primarily fungal pathogens and their insect vectors. [6] [7] It is a subfield of forestry and plant pathology. Forest pathology is part of the broader approach of forest protection.

  6. Soil organic matter - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_organic_matter

    The microbial decomposers are included in the SOM and form a food web of organisms that prey upon each other and subsequently become prey. Above detritivores , there are also herbivores that consume fresh vegetal matter, the residue of which then passes to the soil.

  7. Compost - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compost

    The efficacy is influenced by a number of factors, such as the preparation process, the type of source the conditions of the brewing process, and the environment of the crops. [74] Adding nutrients to compost tea can be beneficial for disease suppression, although it can trigger the regrowth of human pathogens like E. coli and Salmonella .

  8. Detritivore - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detritivore

    Instead, these other decomposers live by absorbing and metabolizing on a molecular scale (saprotrophic nutrition). The terms detritivore and decomposer are often used interchangeably, but they describe different organisms. Detritivores are usually arthropods and help in the process of remineralization. Detritivores perform the first stage of ...

  9. Mineralization (soil science) - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineralization_(soil_science)

    The microbial decomposers assimilate the monomers (3) and either mineralize these into inorganic compounds like carbon dioxide or ammonium (4) or use the monomers for their biosynthetic needs. N mineralization leads to a loss of ammonium to the environment (5), but this process is only relevant if the organic matter has a low C:N ratio.