Classes Notes

Detritus Food Chain, Decomposition and Factors Affecting It,

Food Web, Trophic Levels

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 Key Takeaways

Decomposers 1

Detritus food chain

2 Decomposition

What affects
Aquatic vs terrestrial decomposition?
3
ecosystem

4 Connecting food
chains

Summary
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 Food Chain – Trophic levels

20000 2000 200 kJ 20 kJ 2 kJ 0.2 kJ

kJ kJ

1st trophic 2nd trophic 3rd trophic 4th trophic 5th trophic 6th trophic
level level level level level level

10% Law

❖ 10 percent of the energy is transferred to each

trophic level from the lower trophic level.

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 Energy Loss
❖ Ecosystem follows 2nd law of thermodynamics.
➢ It states that whenever energy is converted from one form to another,
there is a tendency toward disorder (entropy) in the system or some of the
energy is lost to environment.
❖ Thus, energy is lost to environment when it moves from one trophic level to
other.

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 Energy Loss

❖ At every phase of organisms lifecycle, energy is lost

to environment.
❖ Example:
➢ Excretion
Heat
➢ Respiration Heat

Energy flow in ecosystem follows

1st law of thermodynamics
It states that energy can neither be created
nor destroyed, only altered in form.

Energy is always conserved.

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 Recall! Decomposers

❖ Decomposers are organisms that breakdown organic matter into simpler substances.
❖ Examples
➢ Soil bacterium
➢ Fungi etc.
 Decomposers

❖ Decomposers are heterotrophic.

❖ They are also known as saprotrophs
Decomposers
(sapro – to decompose). Bacteria
❖ They meet their energy and nutrient
requirements by degrading dead Fungi

organic matter. Earthworm

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 Decomposers

❖ When an organism dies, decomposers secrete digestive

enzymes that breakdown dead and waste materials into
simple, inorganic materials.
❖ They are subsequently absorbed by the decomposers..
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 Decomposers

The earthworm, which is a detritivore, Earthworms are eaten by small birds

feeds on such bacteria, fungi and such as sparrows.
further decomposes detritus.

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 Detritus Food Chain
(DFC)
Food chain where energy is
gained from dead organic matter
(detritus).

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 Detritus Food Chain
❖ DFC begins with dead organic matter, followed by
decomposers, detritivores and then their predators.

Bacteria and Earthworm

fungi
Detritivores
Decomposers

Detritus
food chain Sparrow
(DFC)

Dead organic matter Predators

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 Detritus Food Chain

❖ Energy is lost in DFC as well.

❖ Example:
➢ Plants die without
being consumed by
animals.
➢ Their biomass is not
passed onto next
consumer.
➢ Decomposition of
waste/dead matter
leads to loss of energy
in the form of heat.

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 Decomposition

❖ The process of breaking down complex organic matter into simpler

compounds like nutrients, mineral and carbon dioxide is known as
decomposition.
❖ The complex materials are the dead plant remains such as leaves,
bark, flowers and dead remains of animals, including fecal matter.
❖ The complex materials constitute detritus, which is the raw material
for decomposition.

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 Decomposition - Fragmentation

❖ Decomposition occurs in a stepwise manner starting from fragmentation.

❖ The detritivores like earthworms, small insects etc., feed on the detritus
(dry leaves) and break them down into smaller particles. This process is
known as fragmentation.

Detritus

Fragmentation
Earthworm

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 Decomposition - Leaching

❖ Water soluble inorganic nutrients go down into the soil horizon and get
precipitated as unavailable salts. This process is called leaching.

Detritus

Fragmentation

Leaching

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 Decomposition - Catabolism
❖ Fungal, bacterial enzymes act on the detritus to degrade it into
inorganic substances. This is catabolism.

Detritus

Fragmentation

Leaching Mushroom

Catabolism
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 Decomposition

Detritus

Fragmentation

These three
Leaching processes occur
simultaneously.

Catabolism

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 Decomposition - Humification

❖ During decomposition, accumulation of dark amorphous substance (as

a thin layer) is called humification. The dark substance formed is called
humus.

Catabolism

Humification

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 Decomposition - Humification

Nutrient rich

Colloidal in nature
Humus

Highly resistant to microbial action

Extremely slow rate of decomposition

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 Decomposition - Mineralization

❖ Humus is further degraded by action of microbes.

❖ This process is known as mineralization.

Catabolism

Humification

Mineralization N
Mg Cu H2O
H2O Fe
Ca

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 Decomposition

A tree grows in the soil Some are eaten by insects and other animals,
Nutrients and energy enter food web Detritus

Fragmentation
A green leaf falls
to the ground

Leaching
Leaves partially consumed Some nutrients
by decomposers such as leach into soil by
fungi and bacteria. They chemical action
begin to lose form and Catabolism
become litter

Further, decomposition Humification

by earthworms, bacteria,
soil, mites, fungi, etc,.

Organic rich soil Mineralization

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 What Affects Decomposition?

1. Climatic condition: Temperature, moisture

Rate of decomposition is Rate of decomposition is

slower in cold and dry faster in warm and moist
conditions. conditions.

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 What Affects Decomposition?

2. Aerobic and anaerobic conditions

Rate of
decomposition is
faster in presence
of oxygen.

Rate of
decomposition is
slower in absence
of oxygen.

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 What Affects Decomposition?

3. Chemical composition of detritus

If chitin and lignin are

OH O
present in the
NH
O O H detritus, the rate of
HO H
HO O
NH
O decomposition is
O OH
O n slow.

Chitin

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 What Affects Decomposition?

3. Chemical composition of detritus

Lignocellulosic
biomass Cellulose (40-50 wt.%)
Plant cell
If cellulose,
nitrogen etc., are
Hemicellulose (25-35 wt.%) present in the
detritus, the rate
of decomposition
Lignin (15-20 wt.%)
is quicker.
Microfibril

Microfibrils

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 Aquatic Ecosystem Terrestrial Ecosystem

❖ In an aquatic ecosystem, GFC is the major ❖ In terrestrial ecosystem, DFC is the major
channel for energy flow. channel for energy flow.

DFC GFC
DFC GFC

DFC
GFC
GFC
DFC

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 Aquatic vs Terrestrial Ecosystem
❖ As against aquatic ecosystem, in a terrestrial ecosystem, a much larger fraction of
energy flows through the detritus food chain than through the GFC.

Aquatic Ecosystem Terrestrial ecosystem

❖ In aquatic ecosystems, there are low number ❖ Terrestrial ecosystems have high number of
of producers and high number of herbivores. producers and relatively low number of
❖ This making the grazing food chain dominant. herbivores as compared to detritivores.
❖ Hence, the detrital food chain is dominant.
Primary consumers
(herbivores) Decomposers decomposers
Primary consumers
(herbivores)

Producers(autotrophs) Producers (autotrophs)

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 Did You Know ?

Cave ecosystem is entirely detritus.

Salamanders
❖ In caves, dead decaying matter is the source for
energy.
❖ Fungi and bacteria decompose this dead
organic matter.

Cave beetles
❖ Millipedes feed on these decomposers.
❖ Cave beetles prey on millipedes.
❖ Salamanders further prey on such cave beetles.
Decomposers
Millipedes

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 Connecting Food Chains

❖ Organisms feed on alternate prey when

Deer one of their prey is reduced

Rabbit

Sparrow
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 Connecting Food Chains
❖ Detritus food chains
can connect to the
Bacteria and
fungi Earthworm grazing food chain.
❖ Example:
● Sparrow is a part of DFC.
● Fox is a part of GFC.
● Yet, sparrow can become
the prey of fox.

Dead organic matter Sparrow Fox

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 Connecting Food Chains

Bear
Bear
Hawk
Hawk

Roden
t Fish
Snake Snake

Eagle
Clams
Sparrow

Fungi
Earthworm

Fruits Food Chains 1 Food Chains 2

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 Connecting Food Chains
❖ The ability of
Bear
Hawk organisms to
prey on different
organisms can
Rodent interconnect
Fox Fish
many different
Snake food chains.
❖ Bear, fish, deer,
fungi etc., are
Deer such
Clams
Sparrow organisms that
lead to
Fungi interconnection
Earthworm of food chains..
Fruits
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 Connecting Food Chains

❖ When preferred plant species number

Alternate food
sources is reduced, rabbit feeds on alternate
species.
❖ Endangered plant species get chance to
recover.
Rabbit

Preferred plant
species
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 Food Web

Food web is network of food chain interconnected to each other.

❖ Food web is more real than food chain.

❖ It is essential for stability of ecosystem.
❖ Provides opportunity for the endangered prey
to recover its number.

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 Summary! Detritus Food Chain

Bacteria and
Earthworm
fungi

Dead organic matter Sparrow

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 Summary

Detritus Dead remains of plant and animal including fecal matter

Fragmentation Detritivores break detritus into small particles

Decomposition

Leaching Soluble inorganic nutrients go down into soil as salts

Catabolism Degradation of detritus by fungal and bacterial enzymes

Humification Accumulation of dark amorphous substance named humus

Mineralization Degradation of humus by action of microbes

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 Summary! Food Web

Bear
Hawk

Rodent
Fox Fish
Snake

Deer
Clams
Sparrow

Fungi
Earthworm
Fruits
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