An Organism That Feeds Upon Producers is Known as a

Producer Definition

A producer, also known as a primary producer, is an organism which creates energy laden molecules from inorganic sources such as sunlight and carbon dioxide. These organisms are autotrophic, meaning they create their own food. Most producers are algae and plants, although there are a few organisms which take energy from reactions with certain inorganic chemicals.

A producer is the foundation of an ecosystem, fixing carbon and providing energy for all the other organisms. While the producer is an autotroph, all of the other organisms are heterotrophic. This means that they derive all their energy from molecules that the producer has assembled.

The producer is always at the lowest level of the food chain for this reason. The producer does not consume other organisms. Rather, it uses the nutrients in the environment, the energy from light or a chemical reaction, and carbon dioxide to create carbohydrates, like sugar. All environments that have life have at least one producer. There are only two main types of producer, however.

Types of Producer

Phototroph

The typical producer in any ecosystem on Earth is a phototroph. This means that the producer uses energy from light to combine carbon dioxide into larger molecules such as sugars and carbohydrates. To do this, these organisms undergo the process of photosynthesis.

There are a large number of organisms which are considered the producer of various ecosystems. In the open ocean, small algae form a large producer network which harbors thousands of other species. On land, plants of all types serve the role of producer. Whether algae or plant, these organisms take in the energy of the sun's rays and convert it into chemical energy. While they use this energy for their own means, other organisms feed upon them to harvest the energy for themselves.

In this way, these producer organisms feed the entire world. Without them, humans and other heterotrophs would not have any way to obtain energy. Heterotrophs must obtain their energy from the sugars and carbohydrates stored by plants. Even carnivores, which only eat meat, are receiving the end benefit after the original producer has created all the energy. Without the producer, the entire food web would collapse.

Chemotroph

Unlike the most common type of producer, other organisms do not need energy from the sun to create sugars. Organisms known as chemotrophs can take the energy derived from certain inorganic reactions to complete the process. These organisms, such as bacteria that live on the hot sulfur vents deep under the ocean, can use inorganic hydrogen sulfide to produce carbohydrates.

While the methods are different from that of a phototroph, the results are the same. These producer organisms have been shown to establish dense communities near deep undersea vents. These communities, complete with crabs, worms, and fish, are entirely bound to the chemotrophic producer. Still other communities can be found surviving in hot springs and other extreme environments, all based around a chemotrophic producer.

Examples of Producers

Algae

In almost every body of water, whether fresh or salt, algae exists. Algae is a term used to describe a number of single-celled or colonial organisms, which use photosynthesis to produce energy. These organisms exist almost anywhere where light and water combine. Here, the environment is just right for them to exist and reproduce.

As they reproduce and spread, they can become a major producer of an environment. In a lake, for instance, the entire food chain is based upon the algae. The level of nutrients and sunlight in the water determines the amount of algae. This, in turn, determines the number of heterotrophic organisms which can survive by eating the algae. Typically, small fish and insects feed upon the algae, which can then serve as food for larger fish, birds, and humans.

The same scenario exists in the ocean, where the entire food chain rests on the shoulders of this producer. In fact, algae in the ocean is responsible for a significant portion of not only the food that humans consume (such as fish), but also for a considerable portion of the oxygen we breathe.

Plants

On land, vascular plants are the primary producer. These organisms are like algae, only they are multicellular organisms with advanced organs. Plants come in many shapes and sizes, but their function as a producer in the ecosystem is the same. In almost every form, plants store carbohydrates and allow communities of heterotrophic organisms to form around them.

In the simplest sense, consider a farm. In order to have chickens and pigs, a farmer must also grow corn to feed them. Corn, in this scenario, is the primary producer. Corn takes energy from the sun and uses it to combine the molecules of carbon dioxide into sugars. It stores the excess sugar in its leaves, seeds, and husks, which can then be fed to the pigs and chickens. This metaphor extends to every ecosystem, in the form of food webs.

Other Producers

Besides the phototrophic producer organisms above, there are a number of ecosystems based on chemotrophic producers. Not only have communities been found by the deep hydrothermal vents, but they have been found in places more extreme. Researchers have found communities of bacteria which live deep within the rock of the Earth's crust. These organisms are using energy from complex chemical reactions to fuel their growth and reproduction.

While these types of chemotrophic producer are much more rare and less studied, their existence has led to greater speculation about the types of life that could exist on various planets. While it was once considered that light was a necessary component of life, it is now clear that a primary producer can exist in very extreme conditions and survive solely on unique chemical reactions.

Quiz

Bibliography

• Cain, M. L., Bowman, W. D., & Hacker, S. D. (2008). Ecology. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, Inc.
• Kaiser, M. J., Attrill, M. J., Jennings, S., Thomas, D. N., Barnes, D. K., Brierley, A. S., & Hiddink, J. G. (2011). Marine Ecology: Processes, Systems, and Impacts. New York: Oxford University Press.
• McMahon, M. J., Kofranek, A. M., & Rubatzky, V. E. (2011). Plant Science: Growth, Development, and Utilization of Cultivated Plants (5th ed.). Boston: Prentince Hall.

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