And then there was life! Three organisms that deconstruct death

The beginning of November in Mexico is to remember and celebrate deceased beings, with many emotions, colors and culture seasoning these days. Death is celebrated because it is accepted as part of life. For this reason, we want to tell you about one side of this event that we often avoid looking at or contemplating, but which is precisely a tangible and real manifestation of the wonderful cycle of life, where birth and death converge in an endless and fascinating wheel.

We don't know for sure what happens after death on the spiritual plane, but on the biological plane, a lot happens and we want to dedicate this article to all the secretive, opportunistic, ugly, slimy, creepy, mysterious and microscopic beings that are part of the natural cycle of life.

Within the range of necrophagous organisms that decompose corpses, there is an enormous diversity that play the same role, from a large vulture to a small bacteria, but they all have the same purpose: to take advantage of the matter and nutrients left behind by a living being to transform it into something else.

Unlike scavengers or scavengers, the main organisms that are actually responsible for Dead matter decays They are completely: bacteria, insects and fungi.

Bacteria they break down dead matter using enzymes that release. They are the first organisms to begin the process of decay, with the same bacteria that were already present inside the living body that begin this cycle; since there is no longer an immune system working, these bacteria proliferate without control. Bacteria that are found in soil and water are added, and they act throughout the process until its end, first dominating aerobic bacteria (which require oxygen) and then anaerobic bacteria. In the end, they fulfill the very important task of recycling carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrients, allowing these molecules to be incorporated back into the soil, serving as food for many plants, some fungi and some other insects present. The most common types of bacteria in decay are:

• Actinobacteria
• Bacteria of the genus Azotobacter
• Bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas
• Bacteria of the genus Achromobacter

Los insects Decomposers are called saprophages and are divided into three categories: those that feed on dying or dead plant matter, those that feed on dead animals and those that feed on the faeces of other animals. Many of these insects lay their eggs in the dead body to use the remaining organic matter to support the larvae and other juvenile states. Others consume cadavers directly as their primary source of food in their adult years. Still others are predatory insects that eat saprophagous insects. Decomposing insects include some genera from the following groups:

• Scavenger beetles
• Moscas
• Ants
• Wasps

Finally, The mushrooms they are our decomposing organisms par excellence, since they are able to transform all types of organic matter and allow us to live, since without their presence, the world would be a huge planet in slow decay. They also achieve this by releasing enzymes and then by absorbing nutrients from dead material (and often also the toxins that a decaying corpse can release!). Some of the most common fungal genera in cadavers are:

• Aspergillus

• Penicillium

• Candida

• Mucor

The natural processes of decay are studied within the science of Taphonomy, which still has a lot to discover and amaze us. A better understanding of the process of decomposition allows us to see the cyclical nature of life; that we live in an elegant balance, where even after we die we contribute to the living network that surrounds us and that sustains us; it reminds us that we all come from the same place and that we will all end -in one way or another- in the same way; it reminds us of the incredible capacity for transformation. Once the decomposition ends, when there is no visible trace of the corpse, the cycle continues inside the soil and through the water, using all the nutrients that plants, algae, microorganisms and even larger organisms will use to grow, reproduce and die.

In nature, death is a feast of life!