In Science, organisms are simply described as living things. All organisms need food in order to obtain the raw elements required for life activities. Food nutrients aid in the formation of new cells, the healing of damaged cells, and the reconstruction of bodily parts. However, not all species obtain nourishment in the same manner. They are classified into three groups based on how they obtain energy: producers, consumers, and decomposers.
Organisms of Various Types
The food chain is the sequence in which organisms interact to exchange energy. The organisms in a food chain vary depending on the ecology used. Organisms in the tropical ecosystem, for example, differ from those in the polar habitat. The cyclic flow of nutrients and energy within an ecosystem is facilitated by the interaction of organisms in the ecosystem.
1. Organisms that are producers help in the food cycle, so the rest will be sustained.
These creatures’ principal role is to produce oxygen and food using solar or chemical energy. Autotrophic organisms are the primary producers of terrestrial ecosystems, whereas phytoplankton is the primary producer of aquatic ecosystems. Sulfur is used by volcanic bacteria to make food.
Producers serve as a direct or indirect link in the food chain, supplying food to other living species. Herbivores consume plants, carnivores feed on herbivores, and microbes feed on dead animals and plants, as an illustration of the fundamental food chain. Energy in the form of carbohydrates passes through the ecosystem’s organisms. Producers provide energy/nutrients that sustain the ecosystem.
Major Types of Producers :
- Phototrophs – are organisms that use the energy of the sun to convert carbon dioxide into carbohydrates, referred to as photosynthesis. Phototrophs include the following organisms:
- Plants that are green
- Seaweeds
- Trees and algae Grasses
- Phytoplanktons
- Cyanobacteria
2. Chemotrophs – Chemotrophs, like phototrophs, can occur in the same process. The sole distinction is the source of energy, which is inorganic oxidation and reduction reactions. Chemotrophs live in locations where water and light are scarce, and they are virtually always small.
Examples of Chemotrophs :
2. Organisms in the food chain, that are consumers, are dependent on others for food.
The consumers are the next link in the food chain after the producers. They are unable to produce their own food and must rely on others. Consumers are classified based on where they obtain their food in the food chain.
There are also four types of consumers:
- primary consumers
- secondary consumers
- tertiary consumers
- quaternary consumers.
Consider the food chain below to gain a better idea of what we’re talking about:
- A grasshopper consumes marsh grass, which is the producer.
- Then a frog consumes a grasshopper
- A snake consumes a frog
- And then an eagle consumes a snake.
The grasshopper is the principal consumer, and the frog is the secondary consumer. Then the snake is the tertiary consumer in this ecosystem.
The quaternary consumer, on the other hand, is the eagle, which is the apex consumer. In typical food systems, apex predators include eagles, lions, humans, and sharks.
Kinds of Organisms that are Consumers :
1. Primary Consumers
- They are primary consumers who are herbivores and only eat plants and algae.
- For example, a grasshopper consumes grasses while zooplankton eats algae in the water.
2. Secondary Consumers
- They eat primary consumers and are mostly carnivores or meat-eaters. Examples are animals who are predators who hunt and kill other animals for food. However, not all carnivores are predators, as some of them are scavengers. They are animals who feed on dead animals.
- Some secondary consumers are parasites who feed on live animals but do not kill them. For example, animals or insects stick themselves to other animals and feed on their blood.
- Other secondary consumers are omnivores, or those who basically eat everything. They eat both plants and animals. An example of an omnivore are bears. They consume plants like berries and roots or leaves as well as fish, fresh meats, and even insects.
3. Tertiary Consumers
- They are consumers who eat carnivores who eat other carnivores.
- Some examples are snakes who eat rabbits or birds who eat fish.
3. Organisms That Are Decomposers Completes the Food Chain
The earth contains little organic matter necessary to sustain living organisms, and as a result, there need to be organisms to aid in replenishing this organic matter. Decomposers are the final link in the food chain that decomposes, the final link in the food chain that breaks down organic matter to simple inorganic matter. Examples of these include bacteria and fungi that scavenge on dead plants and dead animals to keep energy and nutrients in the cycle.
Living organisms exist in complex organic matter, i.e., proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Decomposers broke down into simple inorganic matter this organic matter. Plants absorbed them as a simple inorganic matter being nutrients in the soil. And then, the cycle continues.
Types of Decomposers :
- Fungi
- Bacteria
- Invertebrates
- Moss
Why do animals need food?
To provide energy to the existing living cells and supply raw materials to construct newer cells is one reason why animals need food. Inside animal cells, oxygen and food combine to release energy. However, even adult animals require new cells to replace aging and damaged cells. Animals, therefore, require food to sustain their lives.
- Metabolism is the process of breaking down complex foods in order to build tissues. Animals have a variety of metabolisms that quickly transform food into energy and tissues. Others’ metabolic rates are slow. Most mammals have full-capacity metabolisms, but some have variable metabolisms that alter with temperature.
- Animals have two types of metabolism: anabolism and catabolism. Anabolism is the process of constructing new structures. Catabolism, on the other hand, is concerned with the breakdown of bonds in food particles in order to release energy.
3 Things All Organisms Need :
- Food – Organisms get energy and raw materials to build tissues from food and to carry out all life processes. It then draws nutrients from food necessary to create new cells and repair or rebuild body parts.
- Water – Organisms cannot survive without water. Hence, the source of water organisms use includes fluid intake and those drawn from food ingested. Some animals never drink water, but obtain it from food.
- Air – It contains oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and other gases. Oxygen is a key type of gas that is involved in the chemical process that produces energy from food. It may be dissolved in water and used to help aquatic animals thrive. Organisms may be unable to survive in the absence of oxygen.
Conclusion
Is it true that all living creatures require nourishment to survive? They do, indeed.
All living things require energy, which is obtained from food. Water, food, and air are required for all living beings to survive. Animals, in particular, obtain energy from plants and other animals in order to move and grow.
All creatures require food to provide energy and nutrients that allow them to make new cells and repair damaged cells or tissues. Primary producers directly absorb solar energy, which must be maintained throughout the food chain. Metabolism converts complex organic matter into basic inorganic materials that can be used to make new cells or repair injured tissues.
Apex consumers in the food chain, such as the lion and eagle, die and decompose to generate nutrients that return to the ecosystem. When plants receive nutrients from the earth, the cycle begins anew.
