Salamanders, headwater streams critical in food chain

...stream ecosystems, Semlitsch said. We think thats important because that biomass can then be used by consumers, such as predators, or could be used by decomposers in that system. The salamanders also are consuming aquatic insects. They are a key link, we think, in these headwater stream systems that has not been...

Elevated carbon dioxide changes soil microbe mix below plants

...l samples. But elevated CO 2 samples showed significant changes in the composition of these communities, including: an increase in heterotrophic decomposers - microbes that rely on an external food source and break down organic matter to recycle carbon and nitrogen an increase in ectomycorrhizal fungi ...

Microbes compete with animals for food by making it stink

...from consuming valuable food resources -- such as decaying meat, seeds and fruit, a new study suggests. Ecologists have long recognized microbes as decomposers and pathogens in ecological communities. But their role as classic consumers who produce chemicals to compete with larger animals could be an importan...

NAU researchers chirping over discovery of new cricket genus

...cave resources on the monument," Wynne said. Crickets provide a valuable ecological service to the environment. Some species are often the primary decomposers in cave ecosystems. The researchers also found a new cricket species (genus Ceuthophilus), possibly two new cricket species and a new barklouse (P...

Decomposers in Biological Definition

Fungus

...ngs, originally considered plants but now treated as the separate kingdom Fungi. They occur in all environments on the planet and include important decomposers and parasites , like mold and mildew . Parasitic fungi infect animals , including humans , other mammals , birds , and insects , with conseq...

Decomposers in Biological Dictionary

Decomposers

Decomposers are organisms that consume dead or decaying organisms, and, in doing so, carry out the natural process of decomposition. Like herbivores and predators, decomposers are heterotrophic, meaning that they use organic... NatureWorks ... Decomposers . Back to the Beginning. When pla...