Question

What are micro-consumers?

Answer 1

An ecosystem is a place where an organism lives and interacts with other organisms and the surrounding environment. Depending on the place ecosystem can be a terrestrial ecosystem, forest ecosystem, marine ecosystem, desert ecosystem. The food chain is the linear network in an ecosystem started by producers.

Complete answer: Micro consumers are microscopic organisms like bacteria and microscopic fungi. Micro consumers are decomposers of the food chain.
Another term used for decomposers is Osmotrophs. Osmotrophy is the process of uptake of dissolved nutrients from dead organic matter via osmosis.
Decomposers get nutrients and energy by breaking down the dead organisms.
Through the process of decomposition Micro consumers i.e. decomposers release back nutrients like nitrogen and carbon back to the environment.
Micro consumers are the organisms consuming larger organisms like omnivores, herbivores, and carnivores.
The mode of nutrition in micro-consumers is heterotrophic. In the heterotrophic mode of nutrition, an organism gains nutrients from another source of organic carbon.
Decomposers decompose dead organic matter by secreting digestive enzymes. Decomposers break down long-chain polymers.
Decomposition is abiotic decomposition. Organic matter is broken into inorganic components and, thus nutrients are returned to the environment.

Note: Decomposers are earth’s clean-up crew. Decomposers play a vital role in recycling back the nutrients. Macro organisms include herbivores, carnivores, and detritivores. Besides plants, cyanobacteria and algae are also producers of the ecosystem. Bacteria, fungi, insects, and snails are examples of decomposers. Osmosis is the process of intake of solute from its higher concentration to its lower concentration via a semipermeable membrane.