Which term best describes an organism that breaks down dead matter and waste products?

• A. Producer
• B. Decomposer
• C. Primary consumer
• D. Tides

Answer: (B)

In ecosystems, decomposers recycle nutrients by breaking down dead organisms and waste products. The term that describes an organism doing this is decomposer. Fungi and bacteria are common examples; they release enzymes that break complex molecules into smaller ones that they can absorb, returning essential nutrients to the environment for producers to reuse.

A producer, on the other hand, makes its own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis, not breaking down matter. A primary consumer is an organism that eats producers, not decomposes. Tides are a natural ocean phenomenon, not an organism, so they don’t describe any living thing.