Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
What are decomposers? What will be the consequence if the decomposers are completely eradicated from an ecosystem? Give justification in support of your answer.
Advertisements
Solution
Decomposers include micro-organisms such as bacteria and fungi that obtain nutrients by breaking down the remains of dead plants and animals. They help in the breakdown of organic matter or biomass from the body of dead plants and animals into simple inorganic raw materials, such as carbon dioxide, water, and some nutrients. If decomposers are completely removed from the surface of earth then the remains of dead plants and animals will accumulate. The minerals and organic or inorganic material present in them will not be made again available for use. Thus it will result in the accumulation of wastes and also unavailability of raw materials. This will affect all the biogeochemical cycles and overall life on earth.
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
Fill in the following blank with suitable word :
In nature, all green plants are............ whereas animals are consumers.
Define decomposers.
What is a 'food web'? Show its formation.
If 5 joules of energy is available at producer level (plants), then how much energy will be transferred to the lion in the following food chain?
Plants → Goat → Lion
What is meant by bioconcentration of pesticides
Consider the following food chain
(i) Plants → Mice → Snakes → Hawks
(ii) Plants → Mice →Hawks
If energy available at the producer level in both the food chains is 100 J, in which case will hawks get more energy as food and by how much? Justify your answer.:
How much energy will be available to hawks in the food chain comprising hawk, snake, paddy and mice, if 10,000 J of energy is available to paddy from the sun?
The surface of water in a lake appears green due to a layer of tiny free-floating organisms X on its surface. The lake water also contains organisms like water beetle, fish and tadpole. The sun shines over the lake water and provides energy for the functioning of this lake ecosystem.
(a) What could organisms X be?
(b) Write a food chain comprising of all the four organisms mentioned.
(c) What is the general name of the food chains like the one written above?
(d) Name (i) secondary consumer (ii) producer (iii) tertiary consumer, and (iv) primary consumer, in the above food chain.
(e) If the tertiary consumer gets 0.2 J of energy from the secondary consumer, then how much energy was radiated by the sun to the producer?
Bacteria and fungi are called decomposers.
The process of accumulation of harmful chemical substances like pesticides, in the body of living organisms at each trophic level of a food chain is known as ______.
