Producer, Consumer, and Decomposer

Jun 15

Webelos - Arrow of Light Elective Adventure: Into The Wild

Req. 7a.

Give Example of A producer, a consumer, and a decomposer in the food chain of an ecosystem.

Producers

Plants are called producers. Using photosynthesis, they produce their own food using light energy from the sun, water from the soil, and carbon dioxide from the soil.

Consumers

Animals are called consumers. They are unable to make their own food so the need to consume producers or other consumers to get energy. There are three groups of consumers.

Herbivores - Animals that only eat plants (producers). An example would be a deer.
Carnivores - Animals that only eat other animals (consumers). An example would be a wolf.
Omnivores - Animals that eat both animals and plants. An example would be us as humans.

Decomposers

Decomposers are anything that eats decaying / dead consumers and producers. They break down and decompose the plant or animal releasing nutrients and mineral salts back into the soil for producers to later use during photosynthesis.