THE DIRT ON DECOMPOSERS

Hello fourth-graders. So far we've learned that plants are PRODUCERS in the food chain because they make or produce their own food. Next are the PRIMARY CONSUMERS who eat the producers, followed by the SECONDARY CONSUMERS who eat the primary consumers, and the TERTIARY CONSUMERS who eat the secondary consumers. Got all that? Now what happens when all these ORGANISMS die? Let me introduce the very valuable, all important DECOMPOSER. The decomposer we've been studying is the EARTHWORM, which not only eats soil but all the decaying plant and animal pieces mixed into the soil. Then the EARTHWORM digests this tasty mixture, letting it all out as CASTINGS. Castings (basically worm poop) returns important NUTRIENTS to the soil. Nutrients are important for plant growth and health. Other DECOMPOSERS in the natural world are fungi and microscopic bacteria. DECOMPOSERS are NATURE'S RECYCLERS.