What is decomposed organic material

Unlike more complex green plants, they lack chlorophyll, and, therefore, lack the ability to make their own carbohydrates. Most of them are classified as saprophytes because they live on dead or dying material and obtain energy by breaking down organic matter in dead plants and animals.

Like the actinomycetes, fungi take over during the final stages of the pile when the compost has been changed to a more easily digested form. The larger organisms that chew and grind their way through the compost heap are higher up in the food chain and are known as physical decomposers. The following is a rundown of some of the larger physical decomposers that you may find in nearly any compost heap.

Most of these creatures function best at medium or mesophilic temperatures, so they will not be in the pile at all times. Mites are related to ticks, spiders, and horseshoe crabs because they have in common six leg-like, jointed appendages. They can be free-living or parasitic, sometimes both at once.

Some mites are small enough to be invisible to the naked eye, while some tropical species are up to a half-inch in length. Mites reproduce very rapidly, moving through larval, nymph, adult and dormant stages. They attack plant matter, but some are also second level consumers, ingesting nematodes, fly larvae, other mites and springtails. The wormlike body of the millipede has many leg-bearing segments, each exceptthe front few bearing two pairs of walking legs.

The life cycles are not well understood, except that eggs are laid in the soil in springtime, hatching into small worms. Young millipedes molt several times before gaining their full complement of legs.

When they reach maturity, adult millipedes can grow to a length of 1 to 2 inches. They help break down plant material by feeding directly on it. Centipedes are flattened, segmented worms with 15 or more pairs of legs, 1 pair per segment. They hatch from eggs laid during the warm months and gradually grow to their adult size.

Centipedes are third level consumers, feeding only on living animals, especially insects and spiders. The sowbug is a fat-bodied, flat creature with distinct segments. In structure, it resembles the crayfish to which it is related. Sowbugs reproduce by means of eggs that hatch into smaller versions of the adults. Since females are able to deposit a number of eggs at one time, sowbugs may become abundant in a compost heap. They are first level consumers, eating decaying vegetation.

Both snails and slugs are mollusks and have muscular disks on their undersides that are adapted for a creeping movement. Snails have a spirally curved shell, a broad retractable foot, and a distinct head.

Slugs, on the other hand, are so undifferentiated in appearance that one species is frequently mistaken for half of a potato. Both snails and slugs lay eggs in capsules or gelatinous masses and progress through larval stages to adulthood. Their food is generally living plant material, but they will attack fresh garbage and plant debris and will appear in the compost pile. It is well,therefore, to look for them when you spread your compost, for if they move into your garden, they can do damage to crops.

Spiders, which are related to mites, are one of the least appreciated animals in the garden. These eight-legged creatures are third level consumers that feed on insects and small invertebrates, and they can help control garden pests.

Springtails are very small insects, rarely exceeding one-quarter inch in length. They vary in color from white to blue-grey or metallic and are mostly distinguished by their ability to jump when disturbed.

They feed by chewing decomposing plants, pollen, grains, and fungi. The rove beetle, ground beetle, and feather-winged beetle are the most common beetles in compost. Feather-winged beetles feed on fungal spores, while the larger rove and ground beetles prey on other insects as third level consumers. Beetles are easily visible insects with two pairs of wings, the more forward-placed of these serving as a cover or shield for the folded and thinner back-set ones that are used for flying.

Once grubs are full grown, they pass through a resting or pupal stage and change into hard-bodied, winged adults. Most adult beetles, like the larval grubs of their species, feed on decaying vegetables, while some, like the rove and ground beetles, prey on snails, insects, and other small animals. The black rove beetle is an acknowledged predator of snails and slugs. Some people import them to their gardens when slugs become a garden problem. Ants feed on a variety of material, including aphid honeydew, fungi, seeds, sweets, scraps, other insects, and sometimes other ants.

Compost provides some of these foods, and it also provides shelter for nests and hills. They will remain, however, only while the pile is relatively cool. Ants prey on first level consumers, and may benefit the composting process by bringing fungi and other organisms into their nests.

The work of ants can make compost richer in phosphorus and potassium by moving minerals from one place to another. Many flies, including black fungus gnats, soldier flies, minute flies, and houseflies, spend their larval phase in compost as maggots.

Adults can feed upon almost any kind of organic material. All flies undergo egg, larval, pupal, and adult stages. The eggs are laid in various forms of organic matter. Houseflies are such effective distributors of bacteria that when an individual fly crawls across a sterile plate of lab gelatin, colonies of bacteria later appear in its tracks. You can see how during the early phases of the composting process, flies provide ideal airborne transportation for bacteria on their way to the pile.

If you keep a layer of dry leaves or grass clippings on top of your pile and cover your garbage promptly while building compost, your pile will not provide a breeding place for horseflies, mosquitoes, or houseflies which may become a nuisance to humans.

Fly larvae will not survive the thermophilic temperatures in the well-managed compost pile. Mites and other organisms in the pile also keep fly larvae reduced in number. However, though many flies die with the coming of frost, the rate of reproduction is so rapid that a few survivors can repopulate an area before the warm season has progressed very far. Nematodes or eelworms, free-living flatworms, and rotifers all can be found in compost.

Nematodes are microscopic creatures that can be classified into three categories: those that live on decaying organic matter; those that arepredators on other nematodes, bacteria, algae, protozoa, etc. Flatworms, as their name implies, are flattened organisms that are usually quite small in their free-living form.

Most flatworms are carnivorous and live in films of water within the compost structure. Rotifers are small, multicellular animals that live freely or in tubes attached to a substrate in the pile. Their bodies are round and divisible into three parts, a head, trunk, and tail. They are generally found in films of water and many forms are aquatic.

The rotifers in compost are found in water which adheres to plant substances where they feed on microorganisms. If bacteria are the champion microscopic decomposers, then the heavyweight champion is doubtlessly the earthworm. Pages of praise have been written to the earthworm, ever since it became known that this creature spends most of its time tilling and enriching the soil. In doing so they progressively convert the organic matter to simpler materials.

These simpler materials may be available for further breakdown, or they may become humus Nutrient mineralisation - Soil organisms in breaking down organic material will produce water soluble compounds and nutrients Transfer of organic carbon and nutrients between organic matter types - Soil function is much dependant on the incorporation of plant materials and the maintenance of the energy flow into the soil and the maintenance of humus content Release of carbon dioxide via respiration - Respiration converts sugars to carbon dioxide and water with the subsequent release of useable energy Decomposition rates The level of soil carbon in soil is determined by the balance between inputs of organic matter, and its subsequent rate of decomposition and loss.

Rates of decomposition are affected by: 1. Environment Temperature Rainfall frequency, intensity and amount Water and atmospheric balances — aerobic or anaerobic systems 3. National Relay Service: or relayservice. The nutrient release occurs predominantly in the spring and summer, so summer crops benefit more from organic-matter mineralization than winter crops. Water-Holding Capacity Organic matter behaves somewhat like a sponge, with the ability to absorb and hold up to 90 percent of its weight in water.

A great advantage of the water-holding capacity of organic matter is that the matter will release most of the water that it absorbs to plants. In contrast, clay holds great quantities of water, but much of it is unavailable to plants. Soil Structure Aggregation Organic matter causes soil to clump and form soil aggregates, which improves soil structure.

With better soil structure, permeability infiltration of water through the soil improves, in turn improving the soil's ability to take up and hold water. Erosion Prevention This property of organic matter is not widely known.

Data used in the universal soil loss equation indicate that increasing soil organic matter from 1 to 3 percent can reduce erosion 20 to 33 percent because of increased water infiltration and stable soil aggregate formation caused by organic matter. Reduce or Eliminate Tillage Tillage improves the aeration of the soil and causes a flush of microbial action that speeds up the decomposition of organic matter. Tillage also often increases erosion. No-till practices can help build organic matter. Reduce Erosion Most soil organic matter is in the topsoil.

When soil erodes, organic matter goes with it. Saving soil and soil organic matter go hand in hand. Soil-Test and Fertilize Properly You may not have considered this one.

Proper fertilization encourages growth of plants, which increases root growth. Increased root growth can help build or maintain soil organic matter, even if you are removing much of the top growth.

Cover Crops Growing cover crops can help build or maintain soil organic matter. The process can involve soil organisms breaking-down large pieces of organic matter into smaller ones. Earthworms, insects , and snails are examples of animals involved in the initial stages of the decomposition process.

Detritus is the term given to the disintegrated organic material produced by these animals. Earthworms are examples of detritivores, or organisms that consume detritus for energy. After larger particles are broken down, microorganisms further the decomposition process by secreting chemicals that digest organic material in detritus. The most prominent organisms that do this are bacteria and fungi. Bacteria and fungi that thrive in soil and feed upon dead organic matter are called saprophytes.

Detritivores and saprophytes are essential in the recycling and disintegration processes of decomposition.