Processes of Decay

Living organisms are made of materials they take from the world around them.

Plants take elements like carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen from the soil or the air. They turn these elements into complex compounds (carbohydrates, proteins and fats) that make up living organisms which pass through the food chain.

These elements are returned to the environment in waste products by the organisms or when organisms die. These materials decay because they're broken down (digested) by microorganisms- how elements get put back…