Re: What happens during the decompostion process

Life is a process delays the dispersal of energy by capturing it for a 
period of time in the structure of organic molecules, the building blocks 
of life.  Living organisms are composed largely (more than 99.9%)of just 
six elements: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur. 
Most of the material composing living organisms comes from carbon dioxide, 
a colorless, odorless gas making up a tiny part of the atmosphere, and 
water.  

These materials are obtained and turned into living matter by green 
organisms, plants.  It takes energy to build living matter, and that is 
provided by captured light energy.  Non-green organisms get their matter 
and energy by consuming another organism, a green organism or an organism 
that has eaten a green organism, and so on, or using its waste products.  
When organisms die, the materials that compose their bodies represent some 
of the matter and energy they acquired during their life.  Organisms like 
fungi and bacteria use this material by secreting digestive enzymes and 
absorbing the food molecules.  This causes the remains of organisms to 
decompose.  Some parts are easier to digest than others, so some parts 
decompose faster than others.  Hair and wood last longer than softer 
tissues.  

Ultimately even the fungi and bacteria die.  And during each step energy 
is lost as heat.  Finally all the materials are reduced to water, carbon 
dioxide, and the other elements, ready to be used again and again.  And 
all of the energy is lost as heat.  

Biomaterials are endlessly recycled.  Maybe some carbon dioxide from your 
hampster was used by the lettuce in your garden to make lettuce molecules. 
And if you eat the lettuce, then some of your hampster would be in you.  
Why some of you might even be carbon atoms that used to be part of 
dinosaurs.