Final answer:
Detritivores, a type of decomposer, ingest and internally digest dead organic materials, converting them into detritus. They serve as a critical link in nutrient cycling within ecosystems, working alongside saprotrophs, which decompose matter externally.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the detritivores pathway, decomposers such as earthworms, dung beetles, sea cucumbers, and catfish ingest dead material and break it down into detritus.
This plays a critical role within ecosystems, as decomposers, including both detritivores and saprotrophs, are essential for recycling nutrients and ensuring environmental stability.
While detritivores ingest and internally digest the detritus, saprotrophs like fungi and bacteria decompose organic matter by secreting digestive enzymes to break down materials externally.
These processes release inorganic molecules like carbon and nitrogen back into the environment, which can then be taken up by producers and re-enter biological cycles.
Decomposers are generally divided into two groups based on their method of breaking down organic materials: detritivores and saprotrophs. Understanding decomposers' contribution to the nutrient cycle is crucial for grasping the overall stability and functionality of ecosystems.