Which term describes an organism that gets energy by feeding on other organisms?

Which term describes an organism that gets energy by feeding on other organisms?

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

Answer: (B)

In ecosystems, energy moves from producers that make their own food to organisms that must eat others. An organism that gets energy by feeding on other organisms is a consumer. Consumers can’t synthesize their own food and rely on plants or other animals for energy, including herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores. Producers are the ones that capture energy directly to create organic matter, while decomposers break down dead material and recycle nutrients. Hormones are signaling molecules and aren’t about obtaining energy. So the term that fits is consumer.

In ecosystems, energy moves from producers that make their own food to organisms that must eat others. An organism that gets energy by feeding on other organisms is a consumer. Consumers can’t synthesize their own food and rely on plants or other animals for energy, including herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores. Producers are the ones that capture energy directly to create organic matter, while decomposers break down dead material and recycle nutrients. Hormones are signaling molecules and aren’t about obtaining energy. So the term that fits is consumer.