Classify each of the following as a producer, consumer, decomposer
Answers
Answer:
The organisms who produce their own food through photosynthesis are called producers. Example: Green plants.
The organisms who depends on other organisms for their food are called consumers.
Example: lion, cat, humans, etc.
The organisms who depends on read decaying matter for their food are known as decomposers.
Example: fungi, bacteria.
Answer:
Types of Producers
There are two major types of primary producers – phototrophs and chemotrophs.
Phototrophs use the energy from the sun to convert carbon dioxide into carbohydrates. The process by which this occurs is called photosynthesis. Later, the chemical bond energy in carbohydrates is released through respiration and used to fuel metabolic pathways. A similar process occurs in chemotrophs, except that the energy source is inorganic oxidation and reduction reactions. Chemotrophs are nearly always microscopic and are found in regions where water and light are scarce.
Occasionally, terms such as ‘secondary producers’ and ‘tertiary producers’ are used. Animals that consume plants are considered secondary producers since they ‘produce’ the biomass for their predators. Similarly, carnivores eaten by other species are considered ‘tertiary producers’. At each trophic level the consumer can only obtain 10% of the calories available to its producer. Therefore, it is rare to see energy pyramids containing more than four levels, or ‘quaternary producers’.
Consumers are categorized into primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers. Primary consumers are herbivores, feeding on plants. Caterpillars, insects, grasshoppers, termites and hummingbirds are all examples of primary consumers because they only eat autotrophs (plants). There are certain primary consumers that are called specialists because they only eat one type of producers. An example of this would be the koala because it feeds only on eucalyptus leaves. Primary consumers who feed on many kinds of plants are called generalists. Secondary consumers, on the other hand, are carnivores, and prey on other animals. Omnivores, who feed on both plants and animals, can also be considered as secondary consumer. Tertiary consumers, sometimes also known as apex predators, are usually at the top of food chains, capable of feeding on secondary consumers and primary consumers. Tertiary consumers can be either fully carnivorous or omnivorous. Humans are an example of a tertiary consumer. Secondary and tertiary consumers both must hunt for their food so they are referred to as predators.
Decomposer Definition
A decomposer is an organism that decomposes, or breaks down, organic material such as the remains of dead organisms. Decomposers include bacteria and fungi. These organisms carry out the process of decomposition, which all living organisms undergo after death. Decomposition is an important process because it allows organic material to be recycled in an ecosystem.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms, such as those in the image above, are a type of fungus and play a role in decomposition.
Function of Decomposers
Decomposers play an important role in every ecosystem. Without decomposers, dead organisms would not be broken down and recycled into other living matter. The reason decomposers decompose, however, is simply because they need to survive. Decomposers are heterotrophic, which means they get their energy from ingesting organic material. A dead organism provides nutrients for decomposers like bacteria and fungi to use in order to grow and reproduce, propagating their own species. The side effect of this basic need to survive is that organic material and nutrients are cycled throughout the ecosystem as other organisms consume the bacteria and fungi.