How Nature Recycles Itself

What happens when a plant or animal dies? The fascinating world of decomposers is one that many people don’t know about, but plays an important role in the nutrient cycle. Without decomposers, nutrients would not cycle back into our environment and waste would accumulate quickly. If decomposers did not exist, the earth could be covered in a layer of dead flies almost twenty feet deep in less than a month!

It is the job of decomposers to return the nutrients from the once-living organism back into the environment to be used again. There are 3 major groups of decomposers – the FBI – Fungus, Bacteria, and Invertebrates. Fungi, like mushrooms and molds, are some of the largest organisms on earth – one colony in Oregon spans 2,200 acres and is approximately 2,400 years old. Bacteria are the simplest living things on earth, consisting of only one cell. In just one spoonful of rich, dark soil, there are more bacterial organisms than there are human beings on the planet earth. Invertebrates are any organism without a backbone. Some invertebrate decomposers include earthworms and insects.

This month in the Explore More Life Lab, you have to opportunity to get up close and personal with decomposers. You can explore the FBI by looking at worms in our compost bin and examining their importance, observing insects and determining what they decompose, and even watch decomposition happen right before your eyes. Join us and Explore More of the fascinating world of decomposers and nature’s recycling program!

— Chris Eckart
Educator, Explore More Life and Collections

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