1. Producers
Organisms that make their own food from inorganic matter. Plants are primary producers in most food chains, using sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose through photosynthesis.
2. Consumers
Organisms that cannot produce their own food and must eat other organisms. Primary consumers are herbivores, secondary consumers are carnivores that eat herbivores, and tertiary consumers eat other carnivores.
3. Decomposers
Organisms such as bacteria, fungi, worms, and beetles that break down dead plants and animals, returning nutrients to the environment.