= Decomposer
{wiki}
A <decomposer> breaks down dead organic material and absorbs products of that breakdown; many <bacteria> and <fungi> perform this role. <Decomposers> connect <detritus> from different <trophic levels> to material recycling, so placing all <decomposers> at one final step of every <food chain> is misleading. See https://openstax.org/books/biology-2e/pages/46-1-ecology-of-ecosystems[Clark, Douglas and Choi, Biology 2e, 46.1: grazing and detrital food webs].
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