Producers, Consumers,
and Decomposers
5.L.4B.1: ANALYZE AND INTERPRET DATA TO EXPLAIN HOW ORGANISMS
OBTAIN THEIR ENERGY AND CLASSIFY AN ORGANISMS AS PRODUCERS,
CONSUMERS, (INCLUDING HERBIVORE, CARNIVORE, AND OMNIVORE), OR
DECOMPOSERS (SUCH AS FUNGI AND BACTERIA)
How do organisms obtain their energy?
•All organisms need energy to live, grow, and
reproduce.
•This energy is obtained from food.
•The role an organism serves in an ecosystem can be
described by the way in which it gets its energy.
Producers (Plants)
•Producers make their own food
for energy.
•Most producers use energy from
the sun to make food.
•They make their food through a
process called photosynthesis
• Plants use light energy from the Sun
to produce food (sugar) from carbon
dioxide in the air and water
Consumers (Animals)
•Consumers are organisms that
cannot make their own food.
•Animals cannot make their own
food so they must eat plants
and/or other animals.
There are 3 main groups of consumers:
1. Herbivores
2. Carnivores
3. Omnivores
Herbivores: animals that only eat plants
Carnivores: animals that only eat animals
Omnivores: animals that eat both
animals and plants
Stop…Review…Check!
Turn to your partner and tell them the meaning of each word. Also
give two examples of each.
•Carnivore:
•Herbivore:
•Omnivore
Decomposers
•Decomposers are organisms that
get their energy by breaking down
dead or decaying matter
• Microorganisms, termites, worms,
fungi, and bacteria
•These decomposers speed up the
decay process that releases
nutrients back into the food chain
for use by plants
Stop…Review…Check!
Turn to your partner and tell them the meaning of each word. Also
give two examples of each.
•Producers:
•Consumers:
•Decomposers: