Which statement describes a producer in an ecosystem?

• A. An animal that eats other organisms
• B. A decomposer
• C. An organism that makes its own food, usually a plant
• D. An organism that runs fast

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is what a producer does in an ecosystem. Producers are organisms that make their own food using energy from the sun. In most ecosystems, plants are the producers. They capture sunlight and use it, along with water and carbon dioxide, to create sugar through photosynthesis. That sugar gives the plant energy to grow. Because producers supply the energy for the rest of the food chain, other living things eat them to get energy. A consumer is an animal that eats other organisms, a decomposer breaks down dead material and recycles nutrients, and a fast runner isn’t what defines a producer. So the statement that describes a producer is an organism that makes its own food, usually a plant.