Chapter 7 Decomposers

1) The breakdown of chemical bonds formed during the construction of plant and animal tissue is called ________.

2) Animals that feed on dead material are called ________.

3) Bacteria and fungi secrete ________ into plant and animal tissue to break down the complex organic compounds.

4) Animals that feed on bacteria and fungi are called ________.

5) The reduction of organic matter into smaller particles, either physically of chemically, is called ________.

6) The release of organically bound nutrients into an inorganic form is called ________.

7) The incorporation of mineral nutrients into an organic form is called ___________.

8) The supply rate of mineral nutrients to the soil during the process of decomposition, or the difference between mineralization rate and immobilization rate, is ________.

9) Which of the following is not an important process involved in decomposition?
A) transpiration B) mineralization C) leaching D) fragmentation

10) Which of the following organisms are not important for decomposition?
A) bacteria B) soil invertebrate animals
C) fungi D) plants

11) Which of the following is not a component of plant tissue?
A) cellulose B) chitin C) simple sugars D) lignin

12) Which of the following breaks down most slowly during decomposition?
A) lignin B) simple sugars C) cellulose D) chitin

13) Which of the following organisms is more important for decomposition of animal tissue than for decomposition of plant tissue?
A) bacteria
B) blowfly maggots
C) collembolans
D) fungi
E) both A and B

14) Which of the following is an important group of organisms in decomposition in streams and rivers?
A) riders B) sifters C) shredders D) lifters

15) Describe what you think the world would look like after 10 years without any decomposition. Explain.

16) Describe three different processes that are important for decomposition. Explain which organisms are important for each of the processes.

17) Explain how the "quality" of plant-derived organic matter changes during the course of decomposition.

18) What is the major difference between decomposition of animal tissue and decomposition of plant tissue?

19) Explain why mineralization is important for plants.

ANSWERS:
1) decomposition

2) detritivores

3) enzymes

4) microbivores

5) fragmentation

6) mineralization

7) immobilization

8) net mineralization rate

9) A

10) D

11) B

12) A

13) E

14) C