Producers, Consumers, &
Decomposers
4th Grade Life Science
Where does energy come from?
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You get energy from the food you eat.
All the food energy on Earth comes from the
sun.
Without the sun, every living thing on Earth
would go hungry and die in time.
All these living things are divided into three
main groups: producers, consumers, and
decomposers.
Each group has a certain role, or part to play.
Producers
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Plants use the
energy in sunlight to
make, or produce,
their own food, so
they are called
producers.
 Animals, including
people, cannot
produce their own
food.
Producers
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A small bit of moss
and a towering oak
tree are both
producers. Each
producer uses
sunlight, water, and
carbon dioxide from
the air to make food
for itself and all
other living things.
Consumers
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Consume means
“eat.”
 People and animals
are consumers.
 Some consumers
eat plants.
 Other consumers
eat animals.
Consumers
There are 3 main groups of consumers:
 One group, including rabbits, eats only
producers.
 Another group, including wolves, eats
only other consumers.
 A third group, including most people,
eats both producers and other
consumers.
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Decomposers
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TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
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Living things called
decomposers cause
dead plants and
animals to decay.
Decomposers break
dead things into tiny
pieces.
In the soil, these pieces
become food to help
more plants grow.
Producers, Consumers, &
Decomposers
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Producers, consumers, and decomposers live
both on land and in the water.
Tiny algae floating in a pond are producers.
The tadpoles and minnows that eat the algae
are consumers.
The bigger fish that eat the minnows are also
consumers.
Worms and insects living in the mud at the
bottom of the pond are decomposers.
Quiz Question #1
Which of these living things is a
producer?
a. A cow
b. An earthworm
c. A squirrel
d. A rose bush
Quiz Question #2
Which statement is true?
a. Producers eat consumers.
b. Producers eat other producers.
c. Consumers eat other consumers.
d. Consumers make their own food from
sunlight.
Quiz Question #3
Which statement is true?
a. Producers could live without
consumers.
b. Consumers could live without
producers.
c. Consumers do not need
decomposers.
d. Producers do not need decomposers.
Quiz Question #4
Decomposers help plants by
a. Keeping consumers from eating them.
b. Adding food to the soil.
c. Providing water.
d. Stopping plants from decaying.