Decomposer

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/decomposer

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the ecological function?Primary agents of organic matter breakdown and nutrient remineralization
2. What is the biochemical process?External digestion via enzymatic hydrolysis of complex organic molecules
3. What do decomposers do in nature?Decomposers break down dead plants and animals, keeping the earth clean and giving plants the nutrients they need to grow.
4. How do fungi and bacteria break down dead stuff?They release special enzymes outside their bodies that cut big molecules into tiny pieces, which they then absorb.

Biogeochemical Cycles: The pathways by which chemical elements move through Earth's biotic and abiotic components.
Heterotrophic Organisms: Organisms that obtain energy by consuming other organic matter.
Hydrolytic Enzymes: Enzymes that use water to break down chemical bonds in organic molecules.
Remineralization: The process by which organic nutrients are converted into inorganic forms usable by plants.