The correct answer is: increased rates of decomposition occur in tropical ecosystems. This is because higher temperatures promote the rate of decomposition. At the tropics, the climate tends to be warm and moist all year round. These conditions are perfect for the proliferation of organisms that aid decomposition, such as flies, mosses etc. Bacteria that aid in decomposition also thrive in warmer and more humid environments. The increased activity of bacteria with temperature is generally described by an equation called a 'first order' equation, which sees an exponential growth in bacteria with increasing temperature.