Decomposition Flashcards
What chemical does the flow of energy follow through a food chain?
carbon
What is the ultimate fate of the carbon that has been fixed by photosynthesis?
How do nutrients move through a chain?
T or F: no essential nutrients are recycled in an ecosystem
false, most essential nutrients ARE recycled
What happens to nutrients in organic matter during decomposition?
they are mineralized
What limits plant growth in an ecosystem?
the availability of the nutrient that’s in the smallest relative amount
What nutrient is usually limiting? Who discovered this?
nitrogen
Liebig’s Law of the Minimum
T or F: it’s only ever nitrogen that’s limiting to plant growth
false, it can be phosphorous in some aquatic ecosystems and iron in some marine ecosystems
What form of nitrogen is accessible to plants (organic or inorganic)?
inorganic, mineral form
Nitrate (NO3-) usually
How do plants use the nitrogen they uptake?
plants can incorporate nitrogen into their tissues for growth (ex. amino acids into proteins and nucleic acids)
How do plants return nitrogen to the ecosystem?
plants will eventually drop their leaves which will become dead organic matter
this dead OM can be decomposed/mineralized into soil nutrients so that other plants and organisms can acquire them
How can plants recycle nutrients within themselves?
retranslocation
when deciduous plants or trees are ready to drop their leaves, they will cut off the transportation of nutrients into their leaves before they fall off
Describe decomposition
the breakdown of chemical bonds that make up the organic molecules and tissues of a living organism
What 3 things happen when organic matter is decomposed?
energy fixed by photosynthesis is released
CO2 and water is released by respiration
organic compounds are mineralized
What happens to the energy fixed by photosynthesis during decomposition?
it’s released
What happens to the organic compounds contained in dead organic matter during decomposition?
mineralized
What are 5 different ways something can be decomposed?
leaching
fragmentation
changes to physical and chemical structure
ingestion
waste excretion
How do invertebrate detritivores breakdown dead organic matter?
by fragmentation
What are the 4 major detritivore groups and how are they classified?
by body width:
< 100 micrometers = microfauna and microflora
100 micrometers - 2mm = mesofauna
2-20mm = macrofauna
> 20mm = megafauna
What would be considered microfauna and microflora?
protists, nematodes
what would be considered megafauna?
millipedes, earth worms, etc.
What is white rot fungus? What’s a local example?
a fungi type that breaks down lignin and leaves behind a white colour (cellulose)
ex. Turkey tail, Trametes versicolor
How can white rot fungus be used in the paper and pulp industry?
it can be used to replace the harmful acids that are used to bleach paper
What is brown rot fungi? Give a local example
fungus that breaks down cellulose and leaves behind lignin (a brown colour)
red-belt conk, Fomitopsis pinicola