Asingle litterbag with poplar leaf litter has been placed on the forest floor at coweeta. this bag was harvested and arthropods extracted from it. the sample contains mainly springtails, oribatid mites, predatory mesostigmatid mites, pseudoscorpions, and small spiders. at which stage of decomposition is the leaf litter in this litterbag when it was harvested

Active Decay

Explanation:

There are basically five stages of decomposition -

The first stage of decomposition is the fresh stage which starts just after the death of a living organism. During this phase all the circulatory systems stop working, body temperature start equating with the environment and cell starts degrading. In the second stage i.e bloat stage all gases and fluid with in the body will start flowing out of the body and discoloration starts. The third stage is the active decay stage in which insects and vertebrate scavenging starts. In the fourth stage i.e advanced decay stage very little amount of body mass is remaining and flies may start feeding on the dead remains. In the last and fifth stage, i.e dry stage body mass has reduced to nil and insects colonize with in the body remains for shelter and feeding.

Hence, in the given question the active decay stage of decomposition is in progress.  

Decomposition refers to the procedure by which organic substances are dissociated into basic organic components. The procedure is a portion of the nutrient cycle and is important for reprocessing the finite substance, which holds physical space in the biosphere.

The correct answer is option D.

When the bag was harvested it comprises of oribatid mites, springtails, pseudoscorpions, predatory mesostigmatid mites, and small spiders, this clearly demonstrates the existence of predators of the scavengers. This illustrates that the litterbag is in the later phase of decomposition.

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