[2] Saprotrophic organisms include fungi, bacteria, and water molds which are critical to decomposition and nutrient cycling, providing nutrition for consumers at higher trophic levels.
[2] Variation in the turnover times (the rate at which a nutrient is depleted and replaced in a particular nutrient pool) of the bacteria may be due in part to variation in environmental factors including temperature, soil moisture, soil pH, substrate type and concentration, plant genotype, and toxins.
[5] These factors can, in turn, alter the rates of decomposition and soil organic matter turnover, impacting ecosystem productivity.
Under normal soil conditions, bacterial biomass production remains relatively steady, as the growth of microorganisms is balanced by predation and other types of cell death.
We may blame this disparity on the complexity of the soil matrix, which includes both bacterial and fungal decomposers with different feeding strategies.
[5] Some saprotrophic bacteria are common pathogens in medicine and agriculture, as they move readily between individuals via consumption or other modes of exposure, such as contact with excrement.
However, bacteria’s higher demand for nitrogen and inability to translocate nutrients makes them less efficient decomposers than fungi.
Ecosystem disturbances such as fires, insect invasions, and timber harvesting can lead to a slight decrease in bacterial abundance.