In a food chain, what term describes an organism that consumes other organisms for energy?

In a food chain, what term describes an organism that consumes other organisms for energy?

• A. Producer
• B. Decomposer
• C. Consumer
• D. Predator

Answer: (C)

Organisms that eat other organisms to get energy are called consumers. In a food chain, energy moves from producers—like plants that make their own energy using sunlight—to consumers that obtain energy by eating plants or other animals. Producers provide the starting energy source, while decomposers break down dead material to release energy and nutrients back into the ecosystem. Within consumers, a predator is someone who hunts and kills other animals, but the broader term for any organism that feeds on others is consumer. So the correct term for an organism that consumes other organisms for energy is consumer.

Organisms that eat other organisms to get energy are called consumers. In a food chain, energy moves from producers—like plants that make their own energy using sunlight—to consumers that obtain energy by eating plants or other animals. Producers provide the starting energy source, while decomposers break down dead material to release energy and nutrients back into the ecosystem. Within consumers, a predator is someone who hunts and kills other animals, but the broader term for any organism that feeds on others is consumer. So the correct term for an organism that consumes other organisms for energy is consumer.