Question

What is detrivore?

Answer 1

Detrivores form an important component of food chains and they also help in the energy flow from one trophic level to another trophic level and nutrient cycling in ecosystem.

Complete answer:
Detritus is the dead organic matter formed of excreta of animals and dead matter of plants and animals and represents the initial stage of decomposition. Detrivore are the organisms that feed on this detritus. So they have a heterotrophic mode of nutrition.

They form an important component of the ecosystem as they can live on any type of soil that is rich in organic matter. They help in decomposition of dead and waste organic matter so they form an important component of the nutrient cycle and detritus food chain.

So, Detritus food chains start with dead organic matter.

Additional information:
Detritus food chain- The primary energy source for this food chain is a dead organic matter called detritus.
- Primary consumers are detritivores and it includes protozoans, bacteria, fungi, etc. which feed upon the detritus saprotrophically and thus are called saprotrophs.
- This chain is usually shorter than the grazing food chain.
- Detritus food chains are very important as the dead organic matter of grazing food chains is decomposed by the detritivores to recycle the inorganic elements into the ecosystem.
- In a terrestrial ecosystem, the detritus food chains are more important than the grazing food chains for the energy flow.

Note: Detrivores fragments and decomposes the waste in the environment and helps in keeping the environment clean and contribute their biomass to the food chain when they are eaten by consumers.