Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers

All living things need energy to survive. Energy flows through nature in a special way. Plants make energy from sunlight. Animals get energy by eating plants or other animals. Decomposers break down dead things and return nutrients to the soil.

Producers and Consumers

Producers are living things that make their own food. Most producers are green plants that use sunlight to make food through photosynthesis. Consumers are living things that eat other organisms. Herbivores are primary consumers because they eat producers directly. Carnivores that eat herbivores are secondary consumers.

Decomposers

Decomposers break down dead plants and animals. Mushrooms, bacteria, and earthworms are decomposers. They turn dead matter into nutrients in the soil. Plants use those nutrients to grow. Without decomposers, dead things would pile up and nutrients would be locked away forever.

Fun Facts

• A single teaspoon of soil can contain billions of decomposer bacteria.
• Phytoplankton in the ocean are tiny producers that make about half of the world's oxygen.
• Vultures are both consumers and decomposers because they eat dead animals.

Did You Know?

Dung beetles are important decomposers that eat animal droppings. Without them, pastures would be covered in waste and the soil would not get the nutrients it needs!