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Energy Flow
Detrital Food Chains
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Decomposition
– Gradual breakdown of dead organic material
– Includes both physical and biological activity
– Involves mineralization of organic compounds
Players include:
– Bacteria
– Fungi
– Detritivores
– Microbivores
Form
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Detrital processing can be “classed” into trophic levels as well
– Primary productivity is input of dead organic matter
– Consumers include:
• Grazers = microbes
• Predators = microbivores and detritivores
– Process is “spiral” since dead forms return to detrital food web
– All energy eventually converted to heat
– All materials eventually returned to mineral form
Food Chains