Question

What would happen if a decomposers were absent from the forest ecosystem

Answer 1

Decomposers are organisms such as ants, earthworms, bacteria an fungi that break down organic matter like dead and decaying plants and animals. Decomposers break the material down into its mineral components and returns it to the soil. If decomposers are absent in this ecosystem there would be no recycling of nutrients. Forest plants would not have available minerals to grow and productivity levels would fall significantly.