Herbivores are:

Herbivores are:

• A. Producers that photosynthesize
• B. Decomposers
• C. Consumers that eat producers
• D. Consumers that eat other consumers

Answer: (C)

Herbivores are animals that obtain their energy by eating plants, which are the producers in ecosystems. Because they consume plants, they are a type of consumer—specifically the primary consumers in a simple food chain (grass produces energy, a herbivore eats the grass, and then a predator might eat the herbivore). They are not producers, since producers synthesize their own food from sunlight. They are not decomposers, whose role is to break down dead organic matter and recycle nutrients. They are not consumers that eat other consumers, because herbivores feed on plants rather than on animals that have already eaten other organisms.

Herbivores are animals that obtain their energy by eating plants, which are the producers in ecosystems. Because they consume plants, they are a type of consumer—specifically the primary consumers in a simple food chain (grass produces energy, a herbivore eats the grass, and then a predator might eat the herbivore). They are not producers, since producers synthesize their own food from sunlight. They are not decomposers, whose role is to break down dead organic matter and recycle nutrients. They are not consumers that eat other consumers, because herbivores feed on plants rather than on animals that have already eaten other organisms.