Within the trophic web We find different types of components according to the functions that each animal has. We have the different levels of the food web from the primary producers, through the primary, secondary and tertiary consumers, to the decomposing animals. Today we are going to talk about these animals that are considered organisms that are responsible for taking advantage of the waste of other living beings.
In this article we are going to tell you everything you need to know about decomposing animals and their role and importance in the food web.
Ecological balance
You have to know that ecosystems are governed by a principle of ecological balance. This means that matter and energy are in continuous exchange with a 0 balance. This means that the same matter that is consumed is created and that which is not transformed into another type of energy. Thus, decomposing animals play a fundamental role in closing the circle that this ecological balance entails. Decomposing animals are found both indoors and outdoors. They are responsible for recycling carbon dioxide that plants will then use for photosynthesis.
This is how they take advantage of the waste of other living beings to maintain the ecological balance in the environment. The process begins when an animal or plant dies. Little by little different decomposing animals begin to appear that are responsible for consuming what remains of organic or living matter. Later, after this drink, inorganic matter remains present.
Contrary to what is usually thought, they are very important elements in the food chain. As we have mentioned before, they are the animals in charge of ending the cycle by starting a new cycle again. It is the one that puts an end to the existence of the organic matter of a living being and it is the one that offers new organic matter for the plants to start the cycle again through photosynthesis.
We know that decomposing animals perform the opposite functions to those performed by producer animals. Despite this, they complement each other to perform a vital function in ecosystems.
Function of decomposing animals
Among the main functions they have in these ecosystems is to release different products. These products are used by producer animals and help them to replace any inorganic mass. This inorganic mass is replaced by making it organic. When we look around us on a daily basis, we can observe different decomposing animals without having the knowledge of their function and role.
Normally, decomposing animals are divided into 4 groups: insects, bacteria, fungi and scavengers. When we talk about a natural ecosystem such as a forest, when we hear the word decomposing animal, we usually think of scavengers. These animals also play a fundamental role in the decomposition of the remains of organic matter in the ecosystem. However, they all play their own role so that the ecosystem is in continuous ecological balance. Let's see some examples of domestic decomposers.
Domestic decomposing animals
- Blowflies: These little insects feed on dead animals. They are part of the food chain since they serve as food for other animals such as birds and rodents. In addition, it turns fecal matter into organic matter.
- Spiders: they are one of the most important decomposing animals in the biological cycle. They are the ones that consume the most insects and help regulate the number of populations that are present in nature.
- Beetles: Depending on the species of beetle we are dealing with, it can feed on leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds and other insects. They also feed on rotting roots and food, fungi, among others. All this depends on the amount of food that is in the place where you live.
- Mosquitoes: almost nobody sees a use for mosquitoes since they are very annoying, especially in summer. However, mosquitoes have a function and that is to serve as food for other insects. It eats fruits and vegetables and most insects spend their entire lives without disturbing humans. The problem is when they enter urban ecosystems.
- Green flies: They are those that are responsible for devouring the faeces of the roads, food, animals and plants in decomposition.
- Ants: most ants serve as food for other animals. For example, there are the headquarters of fungi that are responsible for infected ants so that they die. The fungus reproduces on your corpse and sporocarp nation. Different birds mistake the red body of ants for fruits and eat them. Another function of ants is to carry fecal matter from some birds to other animals for consumption.
Natural decomposers
Let's see what decomposers are found in natural habitats:
- Vultures: Depending on what species of vulture we are talking about, their diet usually varies. Most of them feed on the entrails and meat of other dead animals. They survive thanks to the bones and corpses found along the way.
- Crows: They are those who are responsible for devouring the food waste that is no longer human. They also feed on the feces of some kinds of animals.
- Wasps: another of the insects that nobody sees a use in the ecosystem. It feeds on the nectar of flowers and in its initial stage they consume larvae. The rest of his life he is in charge of catching some insects, fallen fruits and carrion. These animals do not normally bother humans.
- Lions: lions are considered the highest consumers of the food web, although they are also classified as scavengers. They are not only responsible for capturing live prey, but also feeding on corpse remains and waste.
- Aquatic mold: It is a type of fungus that is responsible for consuming all the flora that is in a state of decomposition.
- Azotobacter bacteria: It feeds on the roots of plants.
- Pseudomonas bacteria: are those bacteria that are responsible for consuming flowers and animals that have died and are in a state of decomposition. They have a purifying action and are positioned with a high level of importance in the food web. These bacteria are usually quite unpleasant for humans, but they are responsible for maintaining a balance of the ecosystem. Not only is it responsible for decomposing organic matter, but it is also responsible for nourishing plants.
It must be borne in mind that decomposing animals play a fundamental role in nature. A planet without these animals would be full of corpses, waste and dead insects. All this would bring a lot of diseases to both the rest of the animals and the human being.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about decomposing animals and their importance.