Download Producers, Consumers and Decomposers

Producers,
Consumers
and
Decomposers
All organisms in an
ecosystem need energy
to live. Organisms can
be grouped by how they
get energy. Organisms
in an ecosystem are
grouped as producers,
consumers, or
decomposers.
Producers
Producers are organisms that use
energy from the Sun to make their own
food through a process called
photosynthesis. You can think of a
producer as an organism that produces
its own food. Most producers are
plants. However, algae and some
bacteria are producers, too. The
grasses, shrubs, and trees in a meadow
are examples of producers. These
types of producers are common in
grasslands and forest ecosystems.
Algae are common producers in
estuaries and marine ecosystems.
Consumers
Some organisms must get
energy by eating other
organisms. These organisms
are called consumers.
Consumers can be organized
into three groups: herbivores,
carnivores, and omnivores.
Herbivores
Herbivores are
consumers that eat only
plants. Since plants,
trees , and shrubs make
their own food,
herbivores get energy
from eating these
producers. In a forest
ecosystem, deer and
rabbits are common
herbivores. In a
savannah ecosystem in
Africa, zebras and
elephants are common
herbivores.
Carnivores
Carnivores are consumers that eat only
other animals. In marine ecosystems,
sharks, walruses, seals, and octopuses are
common carnivores. In land ecosystems,
lions, wolves, hawks, and eagles are common
carnivores. Some carnivores are called
scavengers. These carnivores eat animals
that are already dead. Most of the time,
scavengers eat leftovers from other
carnivores. One example of a scavenger is a
vulture.
Omnivores
Omnivores are consumers that eat both
plants and animals. Since they can eat a
variety of organisms, omnivores can
easily adapt to changing environments.
Pigs, bears, raccoons, and humans are
examples of omnivores.
Decomposers
• Organisms such as fungi and bacteria get
energy in a different way than producers or
consumers. These organisms, called
decomposers, get energy by breaking down
nutrients in dead organisms. As they break
down the nutrients, decomposers produce
simple products such as water and carbon
dioxide. These products are returned to the
ecosystem for other organisms to use.
Decomposers are very important because
they return nutrients and products to the
ecosystem. One way to think of decomposers
is as recyclers. Termites and earthworms
are examples of decomposers.