What Is an Organism?
Any living thing is an organism. Organisms like,
plants, fungi and animals share basic needs. Most
organisms need oxygen, sunlight and water to
survive. Every organism gets their energy and food
a different way. All organisms can be divided into
three different categories: producers, consumers,
and decomposers.
A producer is an organism that produces its own food. An example of a
producer is any green plant. The plant takes the energy from the Sun and
converts it into glucose. Glucose is a type of sugar that plants make
through the process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process
where water, sunlight and carbon dioxide are converted into sugar or
food for the plants. During this process, plants release oxygen for
consumers.
A consumer is an organism that cannot make
its own food. It is called a consumer because it
depends on other organisms to survive. Some
examples of consumers include: pigs, bears
and even humans. We are considered
consumers because we depend on plants and
animals to live.
Lastly, we have decomposers. Decomposers
include bacteria, fungi, and worms. These
organisms break down material in dead
organisms. They recycle nutrients in dead
organisms and return them to the soil. Those
nutrients can be used again by producers.
Think of producers, consumers and decomposers as a cycle. Producers
produce food for consumers to eat. Once they are dead, decomposers
break down the nutrients and the cycle begins again.
Organisms: Producers, Consumers, Decomposers
Complete the following questions
1. Any living thing is
considered an:
2. The process where plants make
their own food is known as:
3. What are the 3 categories
organisms can be divided into?
4. What is the sugar that plants
create?
5. How are humans considered consumers?
6. What is the role of the decomposer?
7. List 3 examples of decomposers.
8. What do you think would happen if decomposers did not exist?