An organism that obtains energy by consuming other organisms is referred to as what?

An organism that obtains energy by consuming other organisms is referred to as a consumer. Consumers play a vital role in ecosystems by transferring energy from one trophic level to another. They can be categorized into various types, including herbivores that eat plants, carnivores that eat animals, and omnivores that consume both. This characteristic distinguishes them from producers, which generate energy through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis, and autotrophs, which are specific types of producers that can create their own food. Heterotrophs is a broader classification that includes consumers but is not as precise in the context of energy acquisition by directly consuming other organisms. Therefore, the term consumer specifically highlights the role of these organisms in the food web and energy transfer within ecosystems.