Leave a carcass or a log or a pile of poop out in the wild long enough and it will break down into its component parts. Decomposers are an often-overlooked but essential component of ecosystems past and present. This episode, we explore the varied processes of decomposition and how scientists study decomposers and use that information. We’ll also discuss the importance of decomposition to the fossil record, as well as how we can identify signs of decomposers from the distant past.

In the news: temnospondyl extinction, hot crocs, foraging birds, narwhal tusks, and giant flying squirrels.

Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:06:55 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:44:45 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:28:05 Patron question: 02:12:30

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The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org

Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0