The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
All the living organisms sharing a common environment. The members of a biotic community are usually divided into three major categories: producers, consumers, and decomposers, based on the organisms' nutritional habits. Producers (sometimes called autotrophs) include plants and some forms of bacteria that use solar or chemical energy to convert simple compounds into their food. Consumers (sometimes called heterotrophs) obtain the energy they need by eating living plants and animals, or dead plant and animal material (detritus). Primary consumers (herbivores) eat plants, while secondary consumers (carnivores) eat other consumers. Consumers that feed on dead plant and animal material are called detrivores. There are two classes of detrivores: detritus feeders and decomposers. Detritus feeders (e.g., crabs, termites, earthworms, vultures) consume dead organisms or organic wastes, while decomposers (fungi and bacteria) feed on dead plant material, converting it into simple inorganic compounds such as carbon dioxide, water, and ammonia. Decomposers are also an important food sources for other consumers (e.g., worms and insects) living in the soil or water.