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Nature's Decomposers
The process of breaking down dead plants and animals is called decomposition. This process can release unpleasant smelling gases as sign that decomposition is taking place. How does decomposition take place in a wetland? How Does Decomposition Decomposition is the process of breaking down dead plant and animal matter to turn it back into soil. Fungi, bacteria, and other small organisms help speed up this process. In wetlands, decomposition is a very slow process and quite different from decomposition in drier environments. But how is it different? Like in most environments, wetlands have a layer of soil that is full of dead and decaying plants and animals. In wetlands this layer is very thick because decomposition happens slowly. Wetland soil is also full of water, so much water in fact that it fills up all the holes in the soil leaving little or no room for oxygen. Why is decomposition so slow? I already mentioned that wetland soil doesn’t have a lot if any oxygen in it. Well, what do most organisms need to breathe? Oxygen! So that means many organisms that usually aid in decomposition cannot live in wetland soil because there is no oxygen for them to breathe. So how does decomposition happen at all? Well, that is where bacteria come in to play. When insects and worms move through the topsoil they stir up the soil and allow oxygen in, but this doesn’t happen in wetlands. The ordinary bacteria that break down dead materials need oxygen so as you might guess they are not found in wetland soil. There is a special type of bacteria though that can live in wetland soil. This type is called anaerobic bacteria. Anaerobic means they don’t need oxygen to live, so they are the unique decomposers in wetland soil. That still doesn’t explain the smell though. Well, these special bacteria produce sulfur – a gas that smells similar to rotten eggs. This is what gives wetland the stinky smell. It’s amazing that something as microscopic as bacteria can produce such a distinctive smell!
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