Question

What will happen if decomposers are not there in the environment?

Answer 1

The ecosystem comprises living and nonliving matter. The living components undergo their respective life cycles. When they die, the decomposers of the ecosystem act on them. Decomposers, therefore, are responsible for decomposition of dead and decaying matter in the environment.

Complete answer:
The living organisms are composed of Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Sulphur. These molecules are known as biomolecules and are found within cells of the living organisms. They are also present in various nonliving components of the ecosystem. These molecules are recycled through the biosphere between living and nonliving components for numerous times through biogeochemical cycles.
The overview of the nutrient cycling in the ecosystem is described in short below:
Producers trap energy from the sun. They use the energy to make their food using inorganic molecules like carbon and hydrogen, and as a result, complex organic molecules are formed from them. Oxygen is released as a byproduct and taken up for respiration. Phosphorus and Nitrogen are nucleic acid components, while sulfur is a protein component of living things. These nutrients are transferred in various forms from the producer to the consumer level and from one consumer level to the next.
When the living components die, certain organisms called decomposers act on the dead and sometimes decaying organisms to release the nutrients into the environment. The Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen are then recycled back to the ecosystem for the use of producers. Phosphorous, Nitrogen and Sulphur are recycled into the soil to be taken up by plant roots.
The decomposers are therefore, organisms that maintain the stability of the ecosystem. Had the decomposers not been there, dead and decaying matters would have increased and accumulated in the environment. The nutrients would not have been recycled and thus would have remained unavailable for the use of plants. As a result, the consumers would have been deprived of the nutrients too. In essence, without decomposers sustaining life on Earth would have been difficult.

Note: Decomposers are responsible for decomposition of dead and decaying organisms. The decomposers recycle the six primary nutrients Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Sulphur in the atmosphere and help to sustain life on the earth.