decomposer

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decomposer A term that is generally synonymous with ‘microconsumer’. In an ecosystem, decomposer organisms (mainly bacteria and fungi) enable nutrient recycling by breaking down the complex organic molecules of dead protoplasm and cell walls into simpler organic and (more importantly) inorganic molecules which may be used again by primary producers. Recent work suggests that some macroconsumers may also play a role in decomposition (for example, detritivores, in breaking down litter, speed its bacterial breakdown). In this sense ‘decomposer’ has a wider meaning than that traditionally implied. See also consumer organism.

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