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Detritivore
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Detritivores are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus. There are many kinds of invertebrates, vertebrates, and plants that eat detritus or carry out coprophagy. By doing so, all th
Earthworms are soil-dwelling detritivores.
Earthworms are soil-dwelling detritivores.
Two Adonis blue butterflies lap at a small lump of feces lying on a rock.
Two Adonis blue butterflies lap at a small lump of feces lying on a rock.
Fungi are the secondary decomposers in most environments, illustrated here Mycena interrupta. Only fungi produce the enzymes necessary to decompose li
Fungi are the secondary decomposers in most environments, illustrated here Mycena interrupta. Only fungi produce the enzymes necessary to decompose lignin, a chemically complex substance found in wood.
A decaying tree trunk in Canada's boreal forest. Decaying wood fills an important ecological niche, providing habitat and shelter, and returning impor
A decaying tree trunk in Canada's boreal forest. Decaying wood fills an important ecological niche, providing habitat and shelter, and returning important nutrients to the soil after undergoing decomposition.
Saprotroph
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A saprotroph is an organism that feeds on dead organic matter or waste by excreting chemicals to digest it, rather than eating it directly. Microscopic saprotrophs are sometimes called saprobes.
Detritivore
…protists, which are unable to ingest discrete lumps of matter. Instead, these other decomposers live by absorbing and metabolizing on a molecular scale (saprotrophic nutrition). The terms detritivore and decomposer are often used interchangeably, but they describe different organisms. Detritivores are usually arthropods and…
Mycelial cord of fungi made up of a collection of hyphae; an essential part in the process of saprotrophic nutrition, it is used for the intake of org
Mycelial cord of fungi made up of a collection of hyphae; an essential part in the process of saprotrophic nutrition, it is used for the intake of organic matter through its cell wall. The network of hyphae (the mycelium) is fundamental to fungal nutrition.