Detritus (hydrology)
Detritus ( Latin: detritus "abrasion") is the term used in hydrology ( hydrology ) for organic substances that break down in water . It is the remains of dead plants and animals that represent an important link within the food chain for the breakdown of organic material by various destructors . In the sea ( sea snow ) and in still waters , this suspended matter slowly sinks to the ground as so-called sludge and forms the food for microorganisms and various aquatic larvae in plankton and benthos .
The term detritus is used in a similar sense in soil science , see Detritus (soil science) .
literature
- Jörg Ott : Oceanography. Second edition, UTB, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-8252-1450-8 .