Within the amish community is an unusually high frequency of the gene that causes polydactylism (having 6 digits on one or more hand or foot). the frequency is much higher than in the original european countries from which amish settlers arrived. this is an example of __
a. stabilizing distribution
b. founder effect
c. sexual selection
d. bottleneck effect

from my research i have to the conclusion that decomposers, such as fungi, bacteria and invertebrates, play a critical role in nutrient cycling and without them the earth's ecosystem may not support life as we know it. elements such as carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus exist in limited amounts on earth, although huge amounts of carbon are being released into the atmosphere from underground sources now by humans. it is still extremely important that other nutrients be retained by the process of re-use. decomposers are organisms that are able to chemically break down dead material and make these elements available for use by other organisms. without this breakdown of dead material, dead bodies would pile up. so decomposers also play a role in clean up also. without them, life might not continue as we know it and dead material would overwhelm the earth.    

in addition to being able to metabolize, grow, digest food, and excrete wastes, what other functions must an organism perform if it is to survive? survival also depends on the ability to maintain one's boundaries, to move, to respond to stimuli, and to reproduce. oxygen is a survival need.