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 sufficiently moist.
The compost pile was sufficiently moist.

The compost pile contained aerobic bacteria.
The compost pile contained aerobic bacteria.

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

The compost pile was placed in the sunshine.

Answer 1

The most likely explanation for the slow decomposition in John's compost pile is that it contained incorrect amounts of "greens" and "browns". The balance of nitrogen-rich "greens" (such as food scraps, grass clippings) and carbon-rich "browns" (such as dried leaves, straw) is important for the decomposition process. If there is too much of one type of material and not enough of the other, the pile may not heat up sufficiently to support the growth of microorganisms and decomposition. It is also possible that the compost pile was not turned frequently enough, preventing proper aeration and oxygen supply to the microorganisms.