Patrice looks at the important role decomposers and scavengers play in the natural world. Patrice looks at the important role decomposers and scavengers play in the natural world. She then visits with ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I cover the living world, from microbes to ecosystems. Decomposer fungi are central to breaking down dead material across ...

Soil fungi are the primary decomposers in temperate forests. Scientists found that fungi species reared in nitrogen polluted soils were able to decompose far less plant material than the same species ...

Slugs. They’re slimy. They’re sticky. And they make some people squirm. The largest type of slug in the United States, named for its yellow body, is the banana slug. Some banana slugs also have brown ...

Our world is changing, and warming temperatures will alter our natural ecosystems. Some of these changes will be straightforward, like animal ranges creeping northward as they strive to maintain their ...

If there is only one thing you learn about ecosystems, it should be that all of the living residents of an ecosystem are dependent upon one another for their survival. But what does that dependence ...

An ecosystem is a natural environment where everything interacts to support life. Ecosystems are made up of living – or biotic – organisms, like plants and animals;which rely on nonliving – or abiotic ...

Slugs. They’re slimy. They’re sticky. And they make some people squirm. The largest type of slug in the United States, named for its yellow body, is the banana slug. Some banana slugs also have brown ...