ABSTRACT
We introduce the concept of the detrital web, showing that it is driven by complex interactions that are not well understood in most ecosystems. Rates of scavenging by large organisms and consumption by bacteria and fungi vary, and these groups may either work as consortia to decompose dead organisms or compete for resources. We will show how important decomposition is to ecosystem processes and biogeochemical cycling at the local and global scales, with broad implications for issues such as global climate change.
