Courses
Courses for Kids
Free study material
Offline Centres
More
Store Icon
Store

Plant decomposers are _________.

seo-qna
SearchIcon
Answer
VerifiedVerified
396k+ views
Hint: Decomposers means an organism that breaks down dead organic material into its constituent elements; also referred to as detritivores. Earth will be a pile of dead organic matter if decomposers stop decomposing.

Complete answer:
When plants die, they become food for decomposers like earthworms, bacteria and fungi. Decomposers or saprotrophs recycle dead organic bodies like plants into chemical nutrients like carbon and nitrogen that are released back into the air, soil and water. Bacteria and Fungi can be considered as plant decomposers.
The bacteria and fungi are heterotrophic in nature, which means they cannot produce their own food. They are dependent on the other organisms for their food. The bacteria and fungi are saprophytes. They mainly feed on the dead and decaying organic matter. They are also known as decomposers as they decompose the dead organic bodies. The bacteria are prokaryotes and they come under the kingdom Monera.
Unlike bacteria, Fungi are eukaryotic organisms that include microorganisms like moulds, yeasts, and mushrooms. These organisms come under kingdom fungi. The organisms that come under Kingdom fungi have a cell wall and are omnipresent. They are heterotrophs among the living organisms.

Note:
Decomposers or saprotrophs recycle dead organic bodies like plants into chemical nutrients like carbon and nitrogen that are released back into the air, soil and water. Bacteria and Fungi can be considered as plant decomposers. Earth worms also help nature in decomposing dead plant materials. They are known as friends of farmers as they decompose the dead plants, organic materials and increase the fertility and aeration in the soil. Earthworms eat dead plants and any organic body.

Additional information:
Earth worms also help nature in decomposing dead plant materials. They are known as friends of farmers as they decompose the dead plants, organic materials and increase the fertility and aeration in the soil. Earthworms eat dead plants and any organic body. When they eat organic bodies like dead plants, they also take in soil and tiny pebbles to their intestine. They also take in nutrients from microorganisms in the organic material they ingest. Earthworms excrete wastes in the form of casts which are very rich in nutrients like nitrogen, potash and phosphorus.