Detritus (soil science)

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In soil science and ecology, detritus ( Latin: detritus "abrasion") denotes dead organic matter that has not yet been humified , in particular plant litter in the soil and on the soil surface. Organisms that feed on the detritus are the detritivores .

In ecology the term is often used in a broader sense than in soil science: "Detritus in the broader sense can be defined as any form of non-living organic matter, including various plant tissues , for example fallen leaves, deadwood, aquatic Macrophytes and algae , from animal tissues ( carrion ), dead microorganisms, faeces , from excretions and exudates , pollen , nectar , root exudates or leachates and other dissolved organic matter , mucilage and extracellular matrix . "

In most terrestrial and many aquatic ecosystems , most of the plant biomass is not consumed by herbivores . In forest ecosystems, more than 90 percent of the biomass is often found in the form of dead wood and leaves that are thrown off in autumn ( fall leaves ). From the point at which it dies, the organic matter is used by specialized organisms, changing its structure and composition. A succession is formed. First, sugar and low-chain carbohydrates are broken down by bacteria, yeasts and "mold" fungi, such as those of the genera Mucor , Penicillium and Rhizopus , often before the leaves reach the ground. However, high polymer compounds such as lignin and cellulose are difficult to break down, so organic matter built up from them remains more or less long. Feces formed by detritivors after consumption still contain many of these substances and are then counted as detritus.

literature

  • Cape. 11: Destructors and detritivors. In: Michael Begon, John L. Harper, Colin R. Townsend: Ecology. Individuals, populations, communities. Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel, Boston, Berlin 1991. ISBN 3-7643-1979-8
  • John C. Moore, Eric L. Berlow, David C. Coleman, Peter C. de Ruiter, Quan Dong, Alan Hastings, Nancy Collins Johnson, Kevin S. McCann, Kim Melville, Peter J. Morin, Knute Nadelhoffer, Amy D. Rosemond, David M. Post, John L. Sabo, Kate M. Scow, Michael J. Vanni, Diana H. Wall (2004): Detritus, trophic dynamics and biodiversity. Ecology Letters 7: 584-600. doi : 10.1111 / j.1461-0248.2004.00606.x .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ John C. Moore, Eric L. Berlow, David C. Coleman, Peter C. de Ruiter, Quan Dong, Alan Hastings, Nancy Collins Johnson, Kevin S. McCann, Kim Melville, Peter J. Morin, Knute Nadelhoffer, Amy D Rosemond, David M. Post, John L. Sabo, Kate M. Scow, Michael J. Vanni, Diana H. Wall (2004): Detritus, trophic dynamics and biodiversity. Ecology Letters 7: 584-600. doi : 10.1111 / j.1461-0248.2004.00606.x p.585