Dead animal remains are called

• A. Periphyton
• B. Benthos
• C. Primary Producers
• D. Carrion

Answer: (D)

Carrion refers to dead animal tissue and remains. In aquatic and other ecosystems, carrion becomes a crucial energy source for the detrital food web: microbes begin breaking down the tissue, releasing nutrients, and scavengers such as insects, crustaceans, and fish feed on the material as it decays. This decomposition drives nutrient cycling and supports a variety of organisms that rely on dead matter for food. Periphyton are films of algae and microbes on submerged surfaces and represent primary producers, not dead animal material. Benthos describes the community living on the bottom substrate, not the remains themselves. Primary producers are autotrophs that generate organic matter through photosynthesis, not dead animal remains. So the term that names dead animal remains is carrion.