Video: Producers, Consumers & Decomposers in an Ecosystem

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Producers

Producers in an ecosystem can create their own food. They are also known as autotrophs and are mostly plants. For example, all plants you see in the African savanna are producers. They receive their energy from the sun, which is required in photosynthesis, the process of how they make food.

Consumers

Consumers cannot create their own food. They need to look for food and consume it to gain energy. Consumers are also called heterotrophs and have two types:

• Primary consumers - These consumers are herbivores, meaning they only eat plants. Examples of primary consumer animals include antelope, wild boar, and giraffe.
• Secondary consumers - This type of consumer eats the primary consumers and is either carnivore, those who only eat meat, or omnivore, those who eat both meat and plants. Some examples of secondary consumers include cheetahs, lions, and humans.

Decomposers

Decomposers, or saprobes, consume decaying organic material. They break down dead animals or plants into nutrients, which they give back to the soil. Examples of decomposers include termites and bacteria.

Energy Flow in Ecosystems

The producers, consumers, and decomposers all play important roles in the pattern of energy flow in ecosystems. The cycle begins with the producers as they make their own food. These producers are fed on by the primary consumers, which are then eaten by the secondary consumers. The remains of the primary consumers decay, and it is the decomposers' turn to eat them. Finally, the decomposers release the nutrients into the soil and the cycle starts again.