Type of Decomposition

I thought it would be good to look at the different types of decomposition side by side so that we could see what other aspects we could focus on.

Microbiology of decomposition- Is the study of all microorganisms involved in decomposition the chemical and physical processes during which organic matter is broken down and reduced to its original elements. Decomposition occurs when active microorganisms interact with carbon which is then realised as CO2 and Nitrogen (NH4) to be used as food for plants.

Decomposition microbiology can be divided between two fields of interest:

1.   decomposition of plant materials 
2.   decomposition of cadavers and carcasses. Fungi does not have much of a role in the breakdown of animal matter. There are 5 stages in the decomposition of animal kingdom. The whole process takes up to several months.

•    Corpse is fresh carrion flies and blow files lay eggs around the opening such as the ears,  mouth and nose to allow easy access inside the carcass.
• bacteria inside the corpse causes it to break down. the carcass starts to swell due to the gases that are being formed in the absence of air, anaerobic decomposition. 
• skin is ruptured which allows gas to escape and carcass then deflates. Larvae or maggots or flies consume the soft tissue. other predators like wasps and beetles arrive to feed on the fly larvae. 
• only cartilage, skin,bone remains. different groups of files and beetles and parasites take over. 
• bones and hair remain which is left to the mice and volts to consume. 

The Scarlet caterpillar club fungus is a fungus that is part of the decomposition process in animals. it grows out of living lava from moths or butterflies converting the bodies of the host insects into this fungus. I thought this was pretty cool.

• Ecology

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From our Founder's Blog decomposition of cadavers and carcasses. Fungi has a very small role in the decomposition of animal matter, this is left to animals or bacteria.  There are 5 stages of decomposition in the animal kingdom the process takes several months to complete. corpse is fresh, carrion files and blow flies lay their eggs in the openings such as the nose, mouth and ears to allow easy access to the inside of the cabacteria inside the corpse causes it to break down. the carcass starts to swell due to the gases that are being formed in the absence of air, anaerobic decomposition. 

1. Thermal decomposition-  is a chemical decomposition caused by heat. The decomposition temperature of a substance is the temperature at which the substance chemically decomposes. The reaction is usually endothermic as heat is required to break chemical bonds in the compound undergoing decomposition.