Question

(a) Name the type of detritus that decomposes faster. List any two factors that enhance the rate of decomposition.

(b) Write the different steps taken in humification and mineralisation during the process of decomposition. [3 Marks]

Answer 1

(a) Detritus that decomposes faster are those rich in nitrogen and water-soluble substances, such as leaves, barks, flowers, faecal matter and dead and decomposed bodies of animals. [0.5 Mark]
Factors that enhance the rate of decomposition are warm and moist environment and prescence of oxygen. [0.5 Mark]

(b) The important steps in the process of decomposition are fragmentation, leaching, catabolism, humification and mineralisation.
Humification is the accumulation of a dark coloured amorphous substance called humus that is highly resistant to microbial action and undergoes decomposition at an extremely slow rate. It is rich in nutrients. The humus is further degraded by some microbes and release of inorganic nutrients occur by the process known as mineralisation. [2 Marks]