Which of the following organisms breaks down dead material and returns the substances to the environment?

The organism that breaks down dead material and returns the substances to the environment is BACTERIA, which is option C.

BACTERIA especially those that lives in soil are saprophytic in nature. This means that they feed on dead decaying organisms and their excreta (wastes such as urine and faeces) and bring about their decay or decomposition. This occurs through the following'

• they secrete enzymes onto their food source such as a decaying leaf,

• these enzymes break down complex compounds like carbohydrates and proteins into simple inorganic compounds.

• a lot of chemical energy is lost as unusable heat energy.

• the decomposers (bacteria) only absorb a small amount of nutrients and energy for their use

• the rest is then released into the soil, air and water.

Therefore, the organism that breaks down dead material and returns the substances to the environment is BACTERIA.

Learn more about bacteria (decomposers) here:

link

C.Bacteria

Explanation:

The organism that breaks down dead materials are decomposers, ofc lion and vulture arent decomposers. Algae also a producer and not a decomposer. So the only answer is bacteria, bacteria is a small organism that eat and decompose dead things :)