Skip to content

Detritus. In: Encyclopedia of Ecology

Departments

Ecosystem Co-Design

Abstract

Upon nutrient release through its decay and decomposition, detritus (i.e., dead organic material of animal, plan or microbial origin) provides the basis for primary biomass production, and is thus of essential ecological significance in any given habitat of both aquatic and terrestrial systems. Decomposition of detritus, brought about by physico–chemical and microbial decay and the interacting activity of microorganisms and detritivorous animals, results in nutrients available for uptake by primary producers. Decay and decomposition rates depend on the type of detritus, both species and chemical composition of the detritus, the habitat, the organisms involved and environmental factors such as climate. Here, different types of detritus are described in terms of their particular characteristics, their ecological significance, and the organisms and processes involved in their decomposition.

Cite this activity

Zimmer M. (2019) Detritus. In:. Encyclopedia of Ecology (pp. 292-301). 10.1016/B978-0-12-409548-9.10918-2

Details

Date 01.01.2019
Volume 3
Pages 292-301
Book Title Encyclopedia of Ecology
ISBN 978-0-12-409548-9
Open Access Closed Access
Open Access Status Closed Access
Eprints_link https://cris.leibniz-zmt.de/id/eprint/3286

Research Spectrum

The content on this page is maintained by the authors.