Question

If there were no decomposers, which of the following would most likely happen?

Answer 1

Answer:

B. Some plants might die due to a shortage of important nutrients.

Explanation:

Decomposers are organisms that consume dead, decaying material in the ecosystem. They can then recycle these nutrients back into the soil to be used by plants, continuing the nutrient cycle.

The amount of dead plant and animal matter would increase because there is nothing to breakdown the matter. Animals cannot photosynthesise under any circumstances. The lifespan of plants and animals would not be affected.

However, without decomposers recycling essential nutrients such as nitrogen back into the soil, the plants might die because they cannot perform important tasks like protein synthesis.