Detritivores, also known as
detritus feeders or
saprophages, are
heterotrophs that obtain
nutrients by consuming
detritus (decomposing
organic matter).
[1] By doing so, they contribute to
decomposition and the
nutrient cycles.
Detritivores are an important aspect of many ecosystems. They can live on any soil with an organic component, and even live in marine ecosystems where they are termed interchangeably with bottom feeders.
Typical detritivorous animals include millipedes, woodlice, dung flies, many terrestrial worms, burying beetles, fiddler crabs, and some sedentary polychaetes such as amphitrites (Amphitritinae, worms of the family terebellidae) and other terebellids.
Many species of bacteria, fungi and protists, unable to ingest discrete lumps of matter, instead live by absorbing and metabolising on a molecular scale. Scavengers are typically not thought to be detritivores, as they generally consume larger quantities of organic matter. Coprovores are also usually treated separately as they exhibit a slightly different feeding behaviour. The eating of wood, whether live or dead, is known as xylophagy.
