Decomposition and decay are essential in nature. While we associate them with unpleasant sights or smells, these processes play a vital role in ecosystems by recycling nutrients from dead organisms back into the environment. Without them, dead matter would accumulate, and nutrient availability for new growth would plummet.

In forests, fungi are the primary agents breaking down plantmaterial, especially leaves and woody debris. Even fungi have their own decomposers! This system ensures that nothing in nature truly goes to waste.

Plants are able to make sugars from photosynthesis, but they need other nutrients too. A lot of these nutrients are locked away in forms that plants can’t use directly, so they enter into an exchange with fungi and bacteria. These microbes break down nutrient-rich organic matter into a plant-available form. In exchange, the plants provide sugars to the microbes. This process makes plants nutritious to wildlife and people.

The forest floor is alive with a hidden world where countless creatures work together to break down and recycle organic matter. Ants, earthworms, millipedes and other microscopic life break down organic matter by chewing, digesting, and tunneling, keeping soil nutrient-rich. This process happens gradually, sometimes over months or years, but together these creatures convert dead plants and animals into forms that are usable either by themselves or other organisms.

Amphibians, such as frogs and newts, are excellent indicators of a healthy, balanced environment because they rely on both moist soil and clean water throughout their lives. Their permeable skin makes them especially sensitive to pollution. Clean, oxygen-rich water is essential not onlyfor amphibians, but also for fish, insects, and many other species.

Edge environments like marshlands, estuaries, and mangroves are nature’s original water treatment plants and soil builders. These habitats where land dips into water act as natural filters, slowing down the flow of water and allowing sediments and pollutants to settle before they reach rivers or the ocean. Marshes purify water on land, while estuaries and mangroves perform similar roles at the coast.

Benthos is the community of organisms that live near the bottom of freshwater and saltwater environments. Sunlight can’t reach the deepest parts of the ocean, making dead and decaying matter that drifts down to the depths the main energy source for these organisms. Creatures such as crabs and sea urchins break down this organic matter, playing a vital role in recycling nutrients in these ecosystems.

The ocean acts like a giant sponge absorbing carbon, storing the Earth’s excess heat, and forming the foundation of global ecosystems. Kelp forests and seagrass meadows play a crucial role in cleaning and stabilizing ocean waters. Their dense root systems trap sediments and absorb excess nutrients. These underwater plants also sequester carbon and create rich habitats that slow wave energy and support a wide range of marine life from starfish to fish nurseries.