1991 Volume 31 Issue 4 Pages 234-242
Although a handful of soil or organic debris appears inert to the unaided eye, it contains millions of populations oftiny life forms offungiand bacteria. Current scientific textbooks for Japanese high school students only explain them as decomposers in ecosystems. However, the process ofthe decomposition is, in fact, a little bitcomplicated, because a large numbers ofbacteria are eaten by microscopic animals, such as nematodes, rotifers and amoebae. Moreover, mostofthem are parasitized by certain species ofcarnivorous fungi.
Japanese high school students must learn the real microscopic ecosystems in soiland understand the carnivorous fungiplaying an important role in decomposition oforganic debris there. The key in this paper may be very helpful to identify the carnivorous fungifound by high school students in their laboratory work.
