Essay On Anaerobic Decomposition

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Decay occurs when animals or plants die. They then decompose, which means the organism breaks down. There are important factors for decay. Temperature, the amount of oxygen, and the amount of water are all key factors for decomposition. Decomposition has been taking place since life has appeared on our planet, and it continues to play a significant role in human life today.
There are two types of decomposition, anaerobic and aerobic decomposition. Both are complete opposites anaerobic decomposition takes place in nature, in marshes and mud where oxygen can’t get to the organism. Aerobic decomposition is when the organism is decomposed from oxygen. In most cases, aerobic decomposition would take place.
“When a nucleus decays, particles and energy are emitted from it. We call this emission nuclear radiation. Three types of nuclear radiation are alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. Alpha and beta are composed of particles. Gamma radiation is composed of electromagnetic waves.” (Mc-Graw Hill Physical Science p.621.)
Alpha decay is a radioactive process in which an alpha particle particle with two neutrons and two protons is removed from the nucleus of a radioactive atom. The alpha particle is basically identical to a helium particle. The alpha particle is the weakest of the three. It can be stopped by a sheet of paper.
“Beta decay is a radioactive process in which an electron is emitted from the nucleus of a radioactive atom, along with an unusual particle called an antineutrino. The neutrino is an almost massless particle that carries away some of the energy from the decay process. Because this electron is from the nucleus of the atom, it is called a beta particle to distinguish it from the electrons which orbit the atom.”(“Beta." ...

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...sed. They get killed or eaten, not many organisms live for a very long time. “If every organism that died did not decay and rot away, the earth's surface would soon be covered in a deep layer of dead bodies that would remain intact indefinitely. A similar situation would arise if animal and plant wastes never rotted away. Fortunately this does not happen because dead organisms and animal wastes become food or a habitat for some other organisms to live on.”(“Decomposition." Decomposition. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014.)
Some dead animals will be consumed from scavengers. The organisms that aren’t eaten by larger animals are quickly decomposed or broken down by a group of insects including beetles and flies, worms, maggots, as well as bacteria, molds and fungi. These organisms are known as decomposers. The lives of most organisms are dependent on the death of others.

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