Question

Differentiate between

(ii) Producers and decomposers

Answer 1

Producers

• Producers or autotrophs synthesize their food using solar energy and other inorganic materials.

Decomposer

• These organisms get energy by decomposing or breaking down the organic matter to survive.

Producers	Decomposers
1. Producers are called autotrophs because they make their own food.	1. Decomposers are ‘saprotrophs’, that is, they consume dead organic substances like dead plants or animals.
2. They utilize inorganic raw materials to synthesize food and survive.	2. They survive on the decaying or dead organic substances.
3. They capture the solar energy through chlorophyll to make food through photosynthesis.	3. They secrete chemicals or have enzymes that can break complex organic compounds into harmless components.
4. Functions: They provide food for the other organisms of the ecosystem. A food chain starts with them. They help balance the amount of the gases like oxygen and carbon dioxide in the environment.	4. Functions: They help in controlling the waste produced by the dead organisms and thus act as cleansing agents. They also recycle the nutrients that are used by the plants eventually.
5. Examples – grass, shrub, herbs, trees, blue-green algae.	5. Examples- microorganisms like fungi and bacteria