Your friend John is having trouble with his compost bin. The material in his compost pile doesn’t seem to be decomposing well. You take a sample of the pile and check for the presence of microorganisms under the microscope. You see that there are indeed microorganisms; however, they don’t appear to be growing very fast. John says that he regularly mixes his compost pile to expose it to oxygen but has noticed the pile feels cold. What is the most likely explanation for this problem?(1 point)
Responses
A). The compost pile contained incorrect amounts of "greens" and "browns".
The compost pile contained incorrect amounts of "greens" and "browns".
B). The compost pile was placed in the sunshine.
The compost pile was placed in the sunshine.
C). The compost pile was sufficiently moist.
The compost pile was sufficiently moist.
D). The compost pile contained aerobic bacteria.
A). The compost pile contained incorrect amounts of "greens" and "browns".
The most likely explanation for the slow decomposition in John's compost pile is that it contained incorrect amounts of "greens" (nitrogen-rich materials like kitchen scraps, grass clippings) and "browns" (carbon-rich materials like dried leaves, straw). Properly balanced levels of greens and browns are necessary for efficient decomposition by microorganisms. If the ratio is off, the pile may not heat up properly and decomposition may be slow.