Lesson 6 ·Class 9 · Economic Importance of Bacteria and Fungi · Match Lab
Bacteria as Nature's Recyclers
What happens to everything that dies.
Match each term to its role in returning matter to the soil.
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Decomposers do not destroy matter — they unlock it, so it can be used again.
What this lesson covers
Challenges to clear
- Match every term.
- Connect ''if decomposers vanished'' to what would actually happen.
The task
Match each term to its role in returning matter to the soil.
What this lesson covers
- Decomposer — An organism that breaks down dead bodies and waste (Bacteria and fungi together do almost all of it.)
- Putrefaction — Bacterial breakdown of proteins in dead matter, releasing foul-smelling gases (The smell of decay is the by-products of this process.)
- Humus — The dark, nutrient-rich organic matter left in soil after decay (It holds water and improves soil structure.)
- Mineralisation — Converting organic compounds back into simple minerals plants can absorb (This is the step that actually returns nutrients to the cycle.)
- Composting — Deliberately letting microbes decay organic waste into manure (Recycling put to work on purpose.)
- If decomposers vanished — Dead bodies would pile up and nutrients would be locked away forever (No new life could be built, because the raw materials would never return.)
Hint
Decomposers do not destroy matter — they unlock it, so it can be used again.