Decomposers are organisms that decompose the remains of another dead creature.They break down the body to retrieve natural essentials such as energy. Fungi, Bacteria, flies and maggots are all known to decompose materials. Without these creatures we would find dead bodies or carcas' everywhere (and they would be there for a very long time). Decomposers help to break down the body and make it easier to decompose, whilst getting the energy that they need.
Decomposers are also called reducers. They further decompose the remains of a dead creature even after a scavenger, detritivore or saprotroph has. They are organisms that break down or decompose organic materials, from which they get essential nutrients and energy. The two types of micro-organisms that normally play the role of the decomposers are fungi and bacteria. Decomposition of organic matter is generally a natural process; however the role of the decomposer is to speed up the process of decomposition.
Decomposers play a very vital role in the ecosystem. If there were no decomposers, dead and decaying organic matter would be found lying on the ground for a very long period of time. Vultures, burying beetles, blowflies and raccoons are creatures feed on the carcasses of other organic beings (both human beings and other animals that are already dead). These animals are called scavengers. Some examples of detritivores are dung beetles, millipedes, dung flies, woodlice and burying beetles.
These creatures recycle the detritus (decomposing organic material) and return it to the food chain. A saprotroph is also called a saprobe. It is a type of heterotroph that applies soluble compounds and does not make its own food. It obtains its nutrients from the decaying plant and animal matter. Many types of fungi, bacteria and protozoa are saprotrophs.
