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)

Question

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

The compost pile was placed in the sunshine.
The compost pile was placed in the sunshine.

The compost pile contained incorrect amounts of "greens" and "browns".
The compost pile contained incorrect amounts of "greens" and "browns".

The compost pile was sufficiently moist.
The compost pile was sufficiently moist.

The compost pile contained aerobic bacteria.

Answer 1

The most likely explanation for this problem is that the compost pile contained incorrect amounts of "greens" and "browns". The ratio of greens (nitrogen-rich materials like food scraps) to browns (carbon-rich materials like dried leaves) is important for the decomposition process. If there are not enough greens, the microorganisms may not have enough nitrogen to break down the materials effectively. This can lead to a slow decomposition process and a cold compost pile.