This study proposes an experimental inquiry activity in which students collect samples from a decomposing leaf litter pile in their surroundings and observe starch decomposition using extracellular enzymes derived from the litter. The activity allows students to visually confirm the enzymatic breakdown of starch and, by using a spectrophotometer, measure absorbance and convert the observations into quantitative data. The experiment confirmed that starch degradation occurred in the leaf litter extract, suggesting that this activity can effectively enhance students’ understanding of decomposers and material cycles in ecological education.
Ryu et al. (Wed,) studied this question.