Decomposers

= Decomposers  =

Decomposers are organisms that digest parts of dead organisms and wastes of living organisms by breaking down these organic molecules into simpler compounds and then absorbing them into nutrients.  1) Mushrooms - The scientific n a me of the mushroom is Coprinus Comatus  - There are many different types of mushroom and they can all be found in various locations. Ideally mushrooms are found in moist locations. - Mushrooms are eaten by other humans and animals. - Mushrooms eat organic matter. 2) Earthworms <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">- The scientific name of an earthworm is lumbricus terrestris.  <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">- Earthworms feed on organic matter that has begun to decompose, and some feed on nematodes.  <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">- Earthworms are located in the Earth, hence the name earthworms. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">- Birds often eat earthworms, and fishermen could use them for fishing bait.

<span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">3) Termites <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">- The scientific name for a termite is mastotermitidae.  <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">- Termites build big mounds made of dirt and live there. They also like to live in rotting logs and wooded areas.  <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">- Termites eat primarily wood. But they can also eat things such as paper, cloth, and furniture. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">- Ants can eat termites, and also various types of mammals do.

<span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">4) Bacteria <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">- The scientific name of bacteria is prokaryote.  <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">- Bacteria are found in the bodies of all living organisms.  <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">- Because bacteria are decomposers, it will eat anything that is dead. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">- Antibodies and animals eat bacteria. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">5) Fungi <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">- The scientific name for fungi is eukaryota.  <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">- They are found mainly in dark, moist lands.  <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">- They break down dead plants or animals to get food. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">- Ants eat them, and also humans that eat mushrooms are eating fungi because mushrooms are a type of fungus. 6) Vulture

<span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">- The scientific name for a vulture is gyps fulvus. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">- Vultures are birds found on every continent (except Antarctica). <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">- Vultures loom around in the air looking for dead carcasses to swoop down and eat.

<span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">The Cambodian Vulture is a bird that is on the brink of being extinct. These vultures are found in southwest Asia. These birds are becoming close to being extinct because they feed on the remains of dead cattle and as a result they ingest the drug diclofenac. Diclofenac is a drug given to cattle as an anti-inflammatory, is toxic to vultures. So when vultures are eating a dead cow, they are actually hurting themselves because they are consuming these harmful toxics. These vultures are also in trouble because the number of herbivores in Southwest Asia is declining. Despite this negative fact, there is still hope for Cambodian Vultures in Southwest Asia, as 36 vulture chicks hatched. Also a record number of 296 vultures were found in the Northern and Eastern plains of Cambodia. So while there are the positives and negative for Cambodian Vultures, hopefully they will prevail from becoming extinct. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">A very interesting fact about vultures is that they can eat as well as digest meat in the process of decaying. Vultures have a very keen sense of smell. Vultures circle high in the air when they are searching for food. Some vultures not only eat the flesh, but they also eat the bone. Vultures can eat the flesh of another animal in less than half an hour. The vomit of a vulture is there most common defensive tactic against a predator. Vultures do not tire easily, they can fly for hours before taking a rest.

<span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">7) Cockroach <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 10.9pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">- The scientific name for a cockroach is blattaria.  <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 10.9pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">- Live in a wide variety of environments but prefer to be in warm areas.  <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 10.9pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">- Cockroaches will eat anything. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 10.9pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">- A lot of small animals will eat cockroaches. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">8) Maggot <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%;">- The scientific name of a maggot is <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">Phaenicia sericata.  <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">- Maggots can be found anywhere.  <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">- Maggots will eat any dead human or animal carcass.

<span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">9) Beetle <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">- The scientific name of a beetle is Coleoptera  <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">- Beetles can be found in all habitats, but prefer to be near the sea or Polar Regions.  <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">- Beetles eat leaves and will eat small animals. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">- Birds and bats eat beetles. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">10) Slug <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">- The scientific name of a slug is gastropoda.  <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">- Slugs can be found anywhere, but are found typically in moist areas.  <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">- Animals such as lizards, snakes, and spiders eat slugs. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">- Slugs eat plants. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">