detritus

Detritus is material that's broken down or worn away from its original form. It can be tiny pieces of rock, old buildings, or even tiny organisms in water.

When we talk about detritus, we're usually thinking about how it affects our environment. For example, if a big storm hits the beach and washes away all sorts of debris, that's detritus. Or, if you see a field where trees have been cut down and there are just piles of branches and leaves left behind, those tree fragments would be considered detritus too. Scientists often use the term to describe how ecosystems work - like how tiny plants and animals decompose and become food for other creatures in a process called detrital decomposition.