A consumer is a consumer because it consumes the grass. Decomposers such as bacteria and fungi work overtime when the rains come — water helps them break down waste material quickly. Each of these three depend on energy exchanges, the cycling of elements, and the abundance and occurrence of nutrient rich soil, water, and other The flora and fauna of this ecosystem are very unique to the park. Answers To Mastering Concepts Questions In the limnetic zone are phytoplankton and fishes. Decomposers are the garbage men of the animal kingdom; they take all the dead animals and plants (consumers and decomposers) and break them down into their nutrient components so that plants can use them to make more food. The arrow shows how the energy is flown through the consumers and the decomposers. These include mushrooms, fungi, moss, and algae. Decomposers in the forest come in many different shapes and sizes. Producers play a key part in all ecosystems throughout all biomes including temperate deciduous forests like the Great Smoky Mountains. By eating dead plants and animals, decomposers are breaking this dead matter back down into its most basic nutrients. But some desert decomposers operate even in dry times. Fraser Firs ( Abies fraseri ) is a tree that grows in high elevations 4,500-6,600 feet above sea level, and are considerably dominant throughout these elevations (Resources 6). This coniferous-filled zone is located in the elevations of approximately 8,000 to 10,000 feet. Which of the following leads to stability in an ecosystem A) Low amount of biodiversity B) Low amount of biotic factors C) High amount of biodiversity Decomposers and scavengers play an integral part of the life cycle in the Montane Forest Life Zone. There are many decomposers that can be found in the mountains. Take termites. The producer is called a producer because it produces its own food. Decomposers Three Decomposers that live in the Uinta Mountains are the Porcini, the Slippery Jack, and the Phallacae/Stinkhorn Mushrooms. Microbes and fungi all help break down the dead plant and animal life that falls to the floor of rivers and lakes. The decomposer is called that because it decomposes dead animals or body's dead carcass. The primary decomposer of litter in many ecosystems is fungi. Fungi. Rocky Mountain National Park - Ecosystems of Rocky Teacher Guide There are three categories to organize the biotic members of each ecosystem: producers (plants), consumers (animals) and decomposers. Shelf fungus is a fungus that grows on the sides of trees. A food web shows how the animals are all connected and how the energy flows throughout all organisms. The difference between a food web and a food chain that while food chains only show one path of the animals eating each other. All three of the decomposers are in the Kingdom Fungi. This website was an informational site for the biodiversity of the region as well as to inform and encourage people to go to the park and explore the ecosystem. Decomposers are Organisms that break down. The Great Smoky Mountains are within the temperate deciduous forest biome that is very diverse. Decomposers – Taking Out the Waste.