Soil fertility would decline if fungi were removed from an ecosystem as:
The breakdown of dead matter would slow, reducing mineral availability
Fungi, along with bacteria, are decomposers. They secrete enzymes that break down dead plants, animals and wastes into simpler substances, and in doing so they return minerals such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to the soil.
If fungi were removed, dead matter would decompose much more slowly and would pile up, and the minerals locked in it would not be released. With fewer minerals available in the soil, its fertility would decline.
Predators feed on other animals, not on fungi, so their food supply is not the reason for soil fertility. The link between fungi and soil fertility here is through decomposition, not through fungi feeding living plants by absorption. Photosynthesis needs light, carbon dioxide, water and chlorophyll, and it does not depend on fungi.
Hence, The breakdown of dead matter would slow, reducing mineral availability.
How do plants help maintain the carbon cycle by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere?
Which statement accurately compares the carbon content of the oceans to that of the atmosphere?
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Which of the following pairs of articles does NOT represent nonbiodegradable substances?
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In an ecosystem, organisms that can prepare their own food using sunlight are known as _______________.
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Which sequence correctly matches each bacterium to its primary role in the nitrogen cycle: nitrogen fixation, nitrification and denitrification?
Which of the following methods is NOT applied for disposal of nonbiodegradable substances?
Which of the following isnotan adaptation for Xerophytes?
One horned Rhinoceros is a conserved species at:
Who amongst the following forms the first trophic level in an ecosystem?
Primary consumers are