Question 18 • TX-Environmental Systems B
Correct Answer:
Organisms must gather energy to survive. This energy can come in different forms, depending upon whether the organism is an autotroph and gathers its energy from sunlight or a consumer that feeds upon autotrophs and/or other consumers. Processing plant and animal matter into usable chemical energy in this way requires transforming it. Plant matter is transformed by herbivores which are transformed by carnivores, maintaining the food webs that support an ecosystem.