Decomposer

"...anages its own resources across time. But resources don't flow in isolation. They move through networks: from soil to roots to leaves to deer to decomposers and back to soil. From suppliers to manufacturers to distributors to customers and back to suppliers. The squirrel's unretrieved acorns don't just b..."

"...) - Mycorrhizal fungi networks (underground fungal networks connecting tree roots, facilitating nutrient and water exchange) - Microbial communities (decomposers, nitrogen fixers) A forest fire destroys vegetation but leaves soil intact (and fertilized with ash)."

"Primary consumers (herbivores) consume producers. Secondary consumers (carnivores) consume herbivores. Tertiary consumers consume other carnivores. Decomposers break down dead organic matter, recycling nutrients back to producers. This trophic modularity serves several conceptual and analytical functions."

"...ies: Robustness to species loss: Because many species contribute to each ecosystem function (multiple nitrogen-fixing bacteria species, multiple decomposer species, multiple herbivore species), losing individual species typically doesn't collapse function. Other species partially compensate, providing fu..."

"Carnivores consume herbivores, continuing the cycle through food webs. Ammonification: When organisms die or excrete waste, decomposer bacteria break down organic nitrogen compounds (proteins, nucleic acids, urea) into NH₃/NH₄⁺, returning nitrogen to inorganic forms available for pla..."