Gunpreet, Subject Matter Expert at Edumarz
Answer: In an ecosystem, organisms are generally grouped into three basic categories:
1. Producers: They can prepare their food from inorganic substances with the help of solar energy in the presence of chlorophyll. All green plants and a few bacteria that contain chlorophyll are producers.
2. Consumers: They depend directly or indirectly on producers for food. They can be further classified as carnivores, omnivores, and parasites based on what they consume.
3. Decomposers: They comprise microorganisms such as bacteria or fungi that decompose the dead remains. They decompose complex organic substances into simple inorganic substances. They are an integral part of the ecosystem because:
They help to keep our environment clean by decomposing the dead remains of animals.
By decomposing, they add the nutrients back into the soil thus improving the soil fertility.