AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Producers, also known as autotrophs, make their own food. They make up the first level of every food chain. Autotrophs are usually plants or one-celled organisms. Nearly all autotrophs use a process called photosynthesis to create “food” (a nutrient called glucose) from sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water.

Detailed explanation-2: -Photosynthesis is important to food chains because creatures capable of photosynthesis form the foundation of most food chains. In other words, they are the producers, capable of using solar energy to create their own food. Organisms that can produce their own food are also called autotrophs.

Detailed explanation-3: -They include green plants that prepare their food through photosynthesis but many other organisms also synthesize their food by converting chemical energy into starch. Thus all the food chains start with a producer but not necessarily photosynthetic producers.

Detailed explanation-4: -Photosynthesis is only the beginning of the food chain. There are many types of animals that will eat the products of the photosynthesis process. Examples are deer eating shrub leaves, rabbits eating carrots, or worms eating grass.

Detailed explanation-5: -The Sun: The sun is the initial source of energy, which provides energy for everything on the planet. Producers: The producers in a food chain include all autotrophs such as phytoplankton, cyanobacteria, algae, and green plants. This is the first stage in a food chain.