What would be a decomposer in a pond?

Decomposers are life forms that break down dead plants and animals so that the nutrients are released back into the water and air, where they become available to plants. The main decomposers of the pond are fungi and bacteria. See "The Pond" by Gerald Thompson and Jennifer Coldrey, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1984. read more

Decomposers – Taking Out the Waste Microbes and fungi all help break down the dead plant and animal life that falls to the floor of rivers and lakes. By eating dead plants and animals, decomposers are breaking this dead matter back down into its most basic nutrients. read more