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In an ecosystem there will be lots of parties that is connected to each other and needing each other. What we usually see and know is that inside an ecosystem there will be the abiotic and biotic components.

The example will be plants and animals, the producer and consumer inside an ecosystem.In fact, there is an unseen organism that actually hold a huge and important responsibility for the last of the ecosystem.

The organism is called as decomposer where their role is to decompose the dead organic materials came from the animals or plants for example. Maybe you will see that the decomposing process is only all about recycling and nothing is important. But here, I would like to help you to know more on the  importance of decomposers in the ocean even though we can’t see them by our eyes.

See also:

• Threats to Marine Biome
• Threats to Marine Habitats
• Threats to Ocean Ecosystems
• Threats to Marine Biodiversity

1. Supplying nutrient

As we all know that decomposers will break down the organic materials. When they are breaking down these materials, during the process there will be some nutrients that is release to the ocean. Where these nutrients will be needed for a support system for the plants.

2. Preventing the waste pile up

Since the decomposers work as an organic materials break down it means that it actually preventing the waste pile up in the ocean. This is also become a way from many ways to solve water pollution that is done by the organism which is decomposers.

3. Nitrogen supply

One of the nutrient that is needed to make an ecosystem last is nitrogen. You may know about the nitrogen fixation where the bacteria has an important role to make the nitrogen useful to the living beings such as plants. The bacteria will turn the nitrogen into a form that can be used by plants. Nitrogen it self has a use to help the plants to do the photosynthesis process, growth and development for the plants tissue, and many more things.

4. Preventing some disease to be happened

Another importance of decomposers in the ocean is to prevent some disease to be happened. You know that even in around us when we see that there is a waste or garbage pile up that does not have a proper clean up will lead the living beings surround it to get affected by some disease because there are a lot of bad bacteria exist there.

The same thing will also applied in the ocean, without the decomposers for there organic waste materials, there will be some disease that can be happened.

5. To keep the decomposers alive

There are some species of decomposers of the ocean that maybe you already know such as some species of bacteria. Maybe you are wondering on what kind of advantages that these decomposers will have if they do the break down for the organic materials. In fact, doing the decomposition activity can keep the decomposers alive. They feeds on some materials from the death organism that they decompose.

6. Support system for plants

You might also know that our earth condition is quite critical nowadays. This is because there are a lot of ecosystem destruction that creates endangered plants in the ocean. Since decomposers provide lots of benefits for the plants, it means that decomposers has became the support system to keep the ocean plants alive.

7. Provides food for marine living being

Giving a food or nutrient supply is one of the decomposers direct use in the ocean ecosystem. It also has an indirect use where it also help to keep the other marine living beings to have their food. Maybe this indirect use will be more likely a food chain in the deep ocean ecosystems. So if there is no decomposers then there will be no plants, and no plants means no fish, and this effect will affect the whole ecosystem.

8. Maintaining the amount of nitrogen

One of the importance of decomposers in the ocean is maintaining the amount of nitrogen on earth. As we all know that too much of something will cause such a negative impact towards ourselves or the people surround us. These decomposers is maintaining the amount of nitrogen in the air by changing it into something that can be used by plants.

9. Controlling the amount of carbon dioxide

Not only controlling the amount of nitrogen but decomposers also controlling the amount of carbon dioxide. It is controlling the amount of carbon dioxide by releasing the carbon dioxide to the air in order to give plants what it needs. Plants will need more carbon dioxide during the days and oxygen during the nights. And by then, both plants and decomposers can have their benefits.

10. Distribute in temperature management

Decomposers do have an indirect role to control the temperature. If you pay attention directly to the previous statement, you will see that I was saying decomposers help plants to get nutrients and some other things such as nitrogen to help the plants alive.

Not only that, but also to develop its tissue and cells. The plants it self has the ability to control the temperature because they produce oxygen. You will feel comfortable when you stay under a big tree in a hot day. This is because it has the ability to control the heat to its self and also managing the temperature surround it self.

Without decomposers who manage to transform nitrogen into an edible form for plants, plants will not be able to do this. And the side effect that we will see is the existence of global warming in ocean.

11. Keeping the pH balance

A dead organism or creature may experience a certain chemical reaction to their body. And somehow, when the dead organism is not being decomposed, these kind of chemical substance in their body can affect the pH balance level in the ocean. We know that there are some creature that is needing a certain level of pH and when the pH level is changing, their lives will be affected too.

12. Preventing coral bleaching

One of the other importance of decomposers in the ocean is to prevent the coral bleaching. Coral bleaching is a condition where coral will turn their color into white. There are so many causes of coral bleaching such as sunlight intensity and the changing of pH level. Coral as an important ecosystem that support the marine life can also give a big bad impact to the living beings that rely on it if the coral is die.

13. Maintaining the diversity

Another indirect role that the decomposers have is to maintain the diversity that is exist in the ocean ecosystem. Without decomposers surely there will be no nutrient supply for the plants. And without the plants there will be no fish and another marine animals. So, when one factor or support system inside the ecosystem is gone, the whole ecosystem will be affected.

14. Keeping the ocean floor structure

You do know that if something is pilling up by the time goes by, an empty space will be full in the end if we do nothing with it. A big changes to a certain place may lead some damage to in to that place. Decomposers have a role to keep the ocean floor structure by decomposing all dead creature in the ocean.

If these dead creature is not decomposed by decomposers, their body can covers the whole ocean floor. Where it also means that the structure of ocean floor can be changed due to the dead organism body’s pile up.

See also: Destruction of Ocean Floor

15. Indirectly keep the climate cycle

Last one for the importance of decomposers in the ocean is to insirectly keep the climate cycle. Since it keeps providing food for plants, it means that plants get the nutrient that it needs to live. More plants that supplying oxygen will help us to protect the earth from global warming in ocean that may cause the changes in climate.

So those are some of the importance of decomposers in the ocean that I can share you with. Hopefully now you can understand how one small unseen organism can affect the whole organism. And hopefully you will be more aware too towards the ecosystem surround you by at least not destroying it.