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How compost piles work
The key ingredients of a compost pile (carbon,
nitrogen,
oxygen,
and
water)
provide the perfect environment to attract three important groups of organisms
that decompose material: first, second, and third level consumers.
Level
one (primary consumers) occur naturally in all organic material.
These are the organisms that shred organic matter and the microscopic organisms that
eat the shredded organic residues.
You'll find bacteria, worms, fungi, worms, sowbugs, pillbugs,
snails, and slugs in level one.
Level
two (secondary consumers) are comprised of the organisms that eat
level one organisms. As the first inhabitants of the pile begin their work,
the second level consumers are attracted to feed on them as well as
on leaves,
grass, and other components of the compost pile. Some
level two organisms are springtails, feather-winged beetles, and mites.
Level
Three (tertiary consumers) migrate into the pile to feed
on the second level consumers. Centipedes, ground beetles,
ants, rove beetles, pseudoscorpions, and other third level
consumers mix material, break larger particles into smaller ones, and transform
plant matter into more digestible forms for first and second level consumers.
Most of the actual composting work is done by
the first and second level consumers as they ingest, digest, and reshape
organic matter, but all three levels of consumers are needed to support
one another. A compost pile is really a miniature eco-system full
of tiny organisms recycling your organic material. And it happens naturally!
Source: Hamilton
County Department of Environmental Resources
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