Definition: Given a scientific passage and an answer, generate a question for the given answer.
Input: Passage: Agents of Decomposition The fungus-like protist saprobes are specialized to absorb nutrients from nonliving organic matter, such as dead organisms or their wastes. For instance, many types of oomycetes grow on dead animals or algae. Saprobic protists have the essential function of returning inorganic nutrients to the soil and water. This process allows for new plant growth, which in turn generates sustenance for other organisms along the food chain. Indeed, without saprobe species, such as protists, fungi, and bacteria, life would cease to exist as all organic carbon became "tied up" in dead organisms. Answer: decomposers
Output:
Fungus-like protist saprobes play what role in a food chain and are specialized to absorb nutrients from nonliving organic matter, such as dead organisms or their wastes?