Organisms which directly feed on producers are

\( \newcommand\) • • • • Protists function as sources of food for organisms on land and sea. Key Points • Photosynthetic protists serve as producers of nutrition for other organisms. • Protists like zooxanthellae have a symbiotic relationship with coral reefs; the protists act as a food source for coral and the coral provides shelter and compounds for photosynthesis for the protists. • Protists feed a large portion of the world’s aquatic species and conduct a quarter of the world’s photosynthesis. • Protists help land-dwelling animals such as cockroaches and termites digest cellulose. Primary Producers/Food Sources Protists function in various ecological niches. Some protist species are essential components of the food chain and are generators of biomass. Protists are essential sources of nutrition for many other organisms. In some cases, as in plankton, protists are consumed directly. Alternatively, photosynthetic protists serve as producers of nutrition for other organisms. For instance, photosynthetic dinoflagellates called zooxanthellae use sunlight to fix inorganic carbon. In this symbiotic relationship, these protists provide nutrients for the coral polyps that house them, giving corals a boost of energy to secrete a calcium carbonate skeleton. In turn, the corals provide the protists with a protected environment and the compounds needed for photosynthesis. This type of symbiotic relationship is important in nutrient-poor environments. Without dinoflagellate symbiont...

Producers are organisms that create food from inorganic matter. The best examples of producers are plants, lichens and algae, which convert water, sunlight and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates. Consumers are organisms that cannot create their food. Instead, they consume the food generated by producers or consume other organisms that have in turn consumed producers. Many insects and animals are consumers. Decomposers break down dead or dying organic matter. Examples of decomposers include detritus feeders such as earthworms and sowbugs, as well as some fungi and bacteria. Scavenger animals can also be thought of as decomposers. Producers are by definition autotrophs, which means they are self-feeding. This group of organisms uses solar energy (photosynthesis) – or more rarely inorganic chemical reactions (chemosynthesis) – to create food in the form of energy-rich molecules such as carbohydrates. This process, the synthesis of carbon dioxide into organic compounds, is called primary production and is indirectly or directly connected to the survival of all life on Earth. The Role of Plants and Lichens in Terrestrial Ecosystems Plants and lichens are the primary producers on land. Trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, mosses and liverworts are the primary producers in temperate and tropical climates. In the Arctic, where plants are not as well equipped to survive, lichens – symbiotic organisms made up of photosynthesizing algae or cyanobacteria and fungus – are the primary producer...

Table of Contents • • • • • • • What is an organism that feeds directly on producers? Herbivores are a type of consumer that feeds directly on green plants or algae in aquatic systems. Since herbivores take their food directly from the producer level, they are also called primary consumers. Carnivores feed on other animals and are secondary or even tertiary consumers. What is the name of an organism that only eats producers? An herbivore is an organism that eats mainly plants and other producers. Which organisms get their food directly or indirectly from plants? 4. Animals that live in an area get their energy and nutrients either directly or indirectly from plants that grow there: herbivores consume only plants, carnivores consume animals, and omnivores consume both animals and plants. Which animals are indirectly depend on plants for food? Carnivorous animals are indirectly dependent on plants for food. So, option-(1) => carnivorous is the required answer. The animals that eat only plants are known as herbivores. example: cows, deer, zebra, etc. Why do animals feed on plants directly or indirectly? Most animals depend directly or indirectly on plants. In this way, even carnivores that feed on herbivores depend on the plants that feed their prey. Plants use the energy of the sun to manufacture the nutrients they need from the water, the carbon dioxide present in the air and the mineral elements in the soil. What does a producer eat? Producers make their own food through t...

The food chain is comprised of different species which depend on each other for energy. The producers are the plant species which trap the energy from the sun and nutrients from the soil for the production of food in the form of carbohydrate. The other organisms which cannot prepare the food, depend on the producers are known as the heterotrophs. These are the consumers which feed on the producers.

The Food Chain Life on the Food Chain Have you ever wondered why we can't seem to feed the world's hungry? It's a complex issue, but it might surprise you to learn that it's not because there isn't enough food; current agricultural capacity, based on current technology, exists to feed as many as 10 billion people. The Earth's If we want to feed everyone, what would everyone need to eat? To answer that question, download this Example: One acre of a grain crop could be used to feed cattle, and then the cattle could be used to feed people. If 50% of the energy is lost to the cattle, you could feed twice as many people if you fed them the grain directly. Another way of looking at it is that it would only take a half acre of land to feed the people grain, but a whole acre if you feed the grain to the cattle and the cattle to the people. A common practice to grow cattle faster is to feed them ground up animal protein. This means that when we eat the meat from the cow, we're at the tertiary level or higher. The loss of energy between trophic levels may also be even higher. Recent studies suggest that only ~10% of energy is converted to biomass from one trophic level to the next! The Food Chain: The answer has to do with Land and aquatic energy pyramids Trophic Level Desert Biome Grassland Biome Pond Biome Ocean Biome Producer (Photosynthetic) Cactus Grass Algae Phytoplankton Primary Consumer (Herbivore) Butterfly Grasshopper Insect Larva Zooplankton Secondary Consumer (Carnivore)...