Decomposition Flashcards
Detritivores
Organisms that consume dead things
Decomposition
The breakdown of chemical bonds formed during the construction of plant and animal tissues
Because of the factors involved in decomposition, one can predict that rates are:
Higher in tropical ecosystems
Rates of decomposition
Calculates the rate at which nutrients are made available to primary producers
Rates of decomposition
Influenced by biotic factors
Mineralization
Transformation of nutrients and other elements from organic matter into inorganic forms
- Ex. Organic N —> ammonia
Leaching
Nutrients are lost simply because material is dead
Immobilization
Microbes uptake and assimilate nutrients
- Ammonium —> N
Net mineralization rate =
rate of mineralization - immobilization
C:N ratio
Low : high protein
High : low protein, high lignin
Primary productivity determines ____
Rate of nutrient transformation from inorganic form to organic form
- Soil/sediment —> Plants/Algae
Decomposition determines the ___
Rate of transformation of organic to inorganic form (N mineralization)
- Plants/carcasses —> soil/sediment
Microbes and other organisms uptake and assimilate nutrients. Inorganic nutrients used for growth are considered what?
Immobilized
If a microbe utilizes leaf litter with a high level of N, what would be the result?
High immobilization, high mineralization
