Carrion feeders - an important niche in the ecosystem

Four different insects that are important detritivores.

What's a detritivore?  An organism that feeds on dead matter, plant or animal.  There is a long list of detritivores, including most fungi, bacteria, and a plethora of invertebrates.  I came across a dead Steller's jay chick a few weeks ago and discovered quite a population of scavenging insects.  

Nothing in nature goes to waste.  Every atom in every living thing has been used before, again and again and again.  Plants extract nutrients from air, water, and soil.  Animals eat plants and other animals.  And all of them, when they die and their remains are left to the elements, are consumed by detritivores.
Every.     Last.    Atom.

The food web wouldn't be complete without detritivores.  Nutrients would make a one-way trip and not return to the environment.  Even fecal and metabolic waste is recycled.  Although we may feel gross or get a bad case of the heebeejeebees when we come across a dead organism and see its rotting flesh being devoured by a multitude of bugs, it is important to understand that they are playing an important role in the environment.

A necessary but not nice niche.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com

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