Detritus

Detritus (Latin detritus " attrition " ) is in Hydrology ( Hydrology ) the name of decaying organic substances in the aquatic environment. These are remnants of dead plants and animals, which are an important link in the food chain for the digestion of organic matter by various decomposers. In the sea ( marine snow) and in standing water that available as suspended material slowly sinks to the ground, forming the food for micro-organisms and various aquatic larvae in the plankton and benthos in.

The term " detritus " is used in soil science in a similar sense (see Detritus ( Soil Science ) ).