Decomposers in the stream

When we think of fungi, we usually think of mold on our food or mushrooms.

Fuzzy mold is made of millions of single strands of fungi. We can only see them when they grow in clumps—most fungi

is too small to see without a microscope.

Fungi are found all over and are very important for decomposing plant material like leaves on land and in water.

Fungi growing in soil (naked eye)

Fungi in compost (microscope) Yeast are fungi too!

Here are 3 kinds of related fungi that live in streams and decompose dead organisms

Here are 3 kinds of related fungi from a different group that also live in streams and decompose dead organisms

Here is another kind of fungi from a different group that also lives in streams and decomposes dead organisms. This type of fungi lives in places with less dissolved oxygen.

Bacteria are so small you need a very powerful microscope called an electron microscope to see them in

this detail.

While many different groups of bacteria look very similar on the

outside, they are very different on the inside.

There are more bacteria and fungi on the planet than any other living thing. For example…

1 mL of fresh water can contain 1 million bacteria

1 g of soil can contain 1 billion bacteria

How many bacteria do you think could be in your leaf packs?

What happens when leaves fall from a plant?

Some pieces stay in the water

Some get eaten (by microbes)

Think about how you eat…how is eating different for bacteria and fungi?

Big difference between people and microorganisms: our food is smaller than us!

FoodBacteria

As microbes eat…a lot of minerals are left behind, since the microbes are “messy eaters”

What happens to the leaves when microbes eat?

Using the food for energy

(respiration)

EatingBuilding

new cells (mass)

Waste creation

CO2

Minerals “released”