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Multiple Choice

In a mature ecosystem, which group provides the base energy source for all other organisms?

The key idea is that energy enters an ecosystem from the sun and is captured and stored by producers. Plants and other photosynthetic organisms convert sunlight into chemical energy in organic matter. This stored energy becomes the food for all other organisms, directly if they eat plants or indirectly if they eat animals that ate plants. Decomposers are essential for recycling nutrients, but they don’t supply the initial energy that starts the food web. They rely on organic material produced by producers, which is why producers form the base of the energy pyramid in a mature ecosystem.

The key idea is that energy enters an ecosystem from the sun and is captured and stored by producers. Plants and other photosynthetic organisms convert sunlight into chemical energy in organic matter. This stored energy becomes the food for all other organisms, directly if they eat plants or indirectly if they eat animals that ate plants. Decomposers are essential for recycling nutrients, but they don’t supply the initial energy that starts the food web. They rely on organic material produced by producers, which is why producers form the base of the energy pyramid in a mature ecosystem.