Detritivory

Detritivory is a feeding strategy in which animals obtain nutrients by consuming detritus, dead organic matter produced by living organisms, such as leaf litter, feces, and decomposing bodies. Detritivores ingest and fragment this material, often accelerating microbial decomposition and nutrient mineralization. By converting coarse detritus into finer material, they help transfer energy from dead matter into food webs and support higher trophic levels.

Common detritivores include earthworms and woodlice in terrestrial ecosystems, millipedes, amphipods, and other crustaceans in aquatic habitats, and many insect groups such as dung beetles. Deposit-feeding organisms, like some polychaetes and sea cucumbers, ingest sediment or detritus on the bottom. Detritivory is widespread across ecosystems, from forests and grasslands to freshwater streams and oceans.

Ecological roles of detritivores include promoting nutrient cycling, stimulating microbial activity, and aiding soil formation through bioturbation and mixing of soil horizons. They influence carbon storage, soil structure, and the availability of mineral nutrients for plants and microorganisms, thereby shaping ecosystem productivity.

Relation to saprotrophy and decomposers: detritivores differ from decomposers, such as fungi and bacteria, which primarily absorb nutrients from decaying material after conditioning it externally. Some species exhibit overlapping habits and can play multiple roles within the detrital pathway.