There is something good about walking in the woods. Given the increasing urbanization of the country, in particular, many find it more exciting to walk in the blazing sun along a wooded path. Although people notice wildflowers, shrubs, trees, birds and squirrels, they often do not realize that "silent agents" act on layers of fallen leaves and sometimes leave animal carcasses.
These agents are decomposers: bacteria and fungi. They play an equally important role in photosynthesis in green plants. Countless billions of bacteria and fungi grow on forest floors, trees and stumps. You had to pick up rubbish, what did you find? There is often a labyrinth of small white threads, the filaments of a fungal body. These threads travel through the dead leaves and secrete enzymes that melt and break down dead matter. This is how they break down the waste and release useful materials that can be collected by new factories.
At the service of producers 'and consumers' cycles
Disintegrators play an important role in a cycle that includes producers and consumers. The producers are green plants that produce complex substances from abiotic or non-living materials: air, water and minerals. Green plants eat abiotic substances and convert them into living or biotic plant structures, which include roots, stems and leaves. Both humans and animals, consumers, can eat some of these plants. Some consumers may be consumed by other consumers. Consumers are dependent on their plant and animal life. It is not possible to use abiotic materials directly.
Here the work with the "silent agents", the disintegrators, goes into the cycle. Their task is to break down complex substances into simple substances, to convert waste into useful materials. What happens if all the fallen leaves were left on the forest floor? Or what if all the dead animals that ever lived were still where they died? A lot of material would get stuck in this garbage. Life could not continue under these circumstances. However, disintegrators constantly break down dead plants and animal materials and make their components available to green plants. In this way, important materials come from dead waste.
Next time you walk down a forest path, bend down and remove some leaves to see if the decomposers are working quietly. Also examine a rotten log for narrow or colored fungal or mold growth.
How can we work with disintegrators? We can use the waste as garden compost. If compost is used, the soil may be dark and rich, while there may be unproductive red clay nearby. Non-biodegradable materials such as expanded polystyrene and some plastics cannot be attacked by decomposers and are therefore useless in a compost bed.
As we learn more about natural cycles, we must thank Jehovah God, the great Creator, who in his infinite wisdom has never ceased to provide this good land with essential breakers that work silently for the blessing of all mankind.