Consumers
How do consumers obtain energy and nutrients?
Animals, fungi, and many bacteria cannot directly harness energy from the environment as primary producers do. These organisms, known as heterotrophs (HET uh roh trohfs) must acquire energy from other organisms—by ingesting them in one way or another. Heterotrophs are also called consumers. Organisms that rely on other organisms for energy and nutrients are called consumers.
Types of Consumers Consumers are classified by the ways in which they acquire energy and nutrients, as shown in Figure 3–6. As you will see, the definition of food can vary quite a lot among consumers.
Figure 3–6 Consumers Consumers rely on other organisms for energy and nutrients. The Amazon rain forest shelters examples of each type of consumer as shown here.
dTable of Contents
- Formulas and Equations
- Applying Formulas and Equations
- Mean, Median, and Mode
- Estimation
- Using Measurements in Calculations
- Effects of Measurement Errors
- Accuracy
- Precision
- Comparing Accuracy and Precision
- Significant Figures
- Calculating With Significant Figures
- Scientific Notation
- Calculating With Scientific Notation
- Dimensional Analysis
- Applying Dimensional Analysis