Ecosystem Interactions: Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers

Producers

• Green plants and algae are producers.
• They contain chlorophyll to trap the Sun's energy for photosynthesis.
• Producers create food for themselves and others using solar energy and nutrients.
• Producers are at the beginning of every food chain.

Consumers

• Consumers eat food made by producers.
• Herbivores eat plants (e.g., cows, deer).
• Carnivores eat meat (e.g., lynxes, cod).
• Top carnivores are at the end of the food chain.
• Predators kill prey for food; some are omnivores (e.g., bears, dogs).

Scavengers

• Scavengers eat dead plant or animal matter.
• Examples: carrion beetles, snails, gulls.

Decomposers

• Decomposers break down dead material and waste.
• They absorb nutrients, recycling them back into the ecosystem.
• Examples: bacteria, fungi (e.g., mushrooms).
• Important for composting and various food production processes.
• $(\text{Decomposers} \neq \text{Scavengers})$