What is a producer in an ecosystem

What is an ecosystem? This is the unity of all life and environment. The ecosystem exists as a whole, everything is interconnected. In this article, we consider food relationships, namely what are producers, consumers, decomposers.

Food chain links

Let's start with the concept of biogeocenosis. This is the relationship between different types of organisms and the surrounding inanimate environment. So, in each biogeocenosis there are four links:

• Abiotic factors. These are all manifestations of inanimate nature, which in one way or another affect living organisms. Light, temperature and so on can serve as an example.
• Producers. What is a producer? This is primarily a plant. They synthesize organic compounds from inorganic ones, some bacteria belong to this category.
• Consumers (or in another way - consumers). These are organisms that feed on substances produced by producers.
• Reducents (these are fungi, protozoa, multicellular, bacteria). They process dead organic compounds to inorganic compounds .

What is a producer?

As mentioned earlier, these are organisms that process inorganic compounds into organic compounds. What are producers in biology and what place do they occupy? To begin with, these are autotrophs, green plants. What is a producer in the food chain? This is the very first link, everything begins with him. Whichever food chain you come up with, it always starts with a plant.

Ecosystem of the pond

Consider the pond ecosystem, namely the biotic component. What is the producer in this ecosystem? Here their role is played by algae, large plants and bottom flora. With an abundance of these organisms, water acquires a green tinge.

Also allocate primary and secondary consumers. The first include organisms that eat plants and their remains, the latter include predators that feed on either primary consumers, or each other.

The third inhabitants of this ecosystem are saprotrophs, inhabiting everywhere, but a special cluster is observed at the bottom, where the dead organisms are abundant, the processing of which they are engaged in.

Laboratory Ecosystem

Scientists create special laboratory ecosystems for the purpose of a more detailed study of all phenomena. Of course, there are enough bioecosystems, but they are so large that it is not possible to fully study everything in detail. An example of such a laboratory system is an aquarium.

Examples of food chains

Whatever we take an ecosystem (natural or laboratory), it is always possible to compose a food chain. To properly create it, you need to know that it consists of three to five links. For example, an elementary food chain of three elements: cabbage - rabbit - a man. Or a more complex chain: a plant - an insect - a frog - an eagle. Such examples can create mass.

The examples presented above are not the only possible ones. These are examples of pastoral chains, but there are also decomposition chains that start with dead organisms and end in small animals.

Cycle of substances

As already mentioned, everything in nature is natural and everything is interconnected. If we study in more detail all the processes, then we note that there is a vicious circle, which can not be ruptured. Here is an example: producers from inorganic substances synthesize organic with the help of solar energy (so solar energy is converted into energy of chemical compounds). These organic compounds are necessary for heterotrophic organisms during cleavage, resulting in the formation of inorganic compounds and so on.

In the world, everything is natural, the existence of our planet will be impossible if any element disappears. Energy never disappears without a trace, it passes into other states.