Introduction

Biogeography mainly includes the distribution of plants and animals and their interaction. The part of the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, and the atmosphere where organisms live is called the biosphere. The organisms in this biosphere create ecosystems by interacting with themselves and with various abiotic components. This ecosystem is made up of various biotic and abiotic components. The main biotic components of the ecosystem are the producer and consumer. The role of producers and consumers is most important in the formation of an ecosystem. Producer vs consumer definition and differences are discussed below (1).

Producer

Those organisms have the ability to produce food known as produces. In the ecosystem, producer refers to those organisms that can produce their own food. Green plants, algae, phytoplankton, chemosynthetic germs, etc. are the producers of ecosystems (1).

Characteristics

1. Producers can make their own food.
2. They are located at the lowest level of the trophic level in an ecosystem and serve as the basis for the survival of higher animals.
3. They have a type of pigment in their body called chlorophyll.
4. Producers release oxygen while making food. As a result, they supply oxygen to the environment.
5. Occupy a large part of the world’s biomass.
6. The number of green plants is more than the number of consumers.
7. Producers can bind solar energy to their bodies.
8. The producer is prominent in one layer (1) & (4).

How a producer make their own food?

The producer (green plants) absorbs water and carbon dioxide from the environment and collects them in the leaves. In the presence of sunlight and with the help of chlorophyll, producers (green plants) produce simple sugars (glucose) by chemical reaction of water and carbon dioxide. And convert solar energy to potential energy.

Finally produces water and oxygen as by-products. The water produced in this process participates in metabolism and oxygen is released into the environment. This process is called photosynthesis. In this way, producers make their own food (1).

Consumer

Consumer means to accept. The organisms in the ecosystem that cannot make their own food, depend on producers for food. They are called consumers. This group has large consumers and decomposers. Deer, cows, lions, tigers, etc. are large consumers.  Bacteria, fungi etc. are decomposers (2) & (3).

Characteristics

1. Consumers cannot make their own food. They depend on plants and other animals for food.
2. During respiration, they breathe oxygen and supply carbon dioxide to the environment.
3. The energy they get from food is spent on various physiological functions.
4. They are located in the second to highest trophic levels in the ecosystem.
5. The number of consumers is less than the number of producers in the ecosystem.
6. Consumers occupy a small part of the world’s biomass.
7. Consumers can move from one place to another (1) & (4).

Classification of consumer

Consumers in the ecosystem are divided on the basis of two types.

1. According to the type of eating habits (3)

In the ecosystem, large consumers depend on producers or other animals for food. These types of consumers are

Herbivores

They totally collect nutrients from green plants. For example, cows, sheep, goats, deer, etc.

Carnivores

They feed on herbivores and nourish their bodies. Such as tiger, crocodile, lion, shark, etc.

Omnivores

Animals that feed on both plants and animals to nourish their bodies are called omnivores. Such as man, bears, etc.

2. On the basis of the food-consumer relationship (4)

Consumers are divided into three groups based on the food-consumer relationship.

Primary consumer

Consumers who are directly dependent on green plants or producers for food are called primary consumers. For example cows, grasshoppers, goats, etc.

Secondary consumer

The secondary consumers depends on primary consumers for food. Such as frogs, lizards, tigers, etc.

Tertiary consumer

Consumers who survive by eating both primary consumers and secondary consumers are called tertiary consumers. Such as hawk, man, peacocks, etc. (1).

Relationship between producer and consumer

Producers and consumers are closely related to each other in the ecosystem. The producers absorb water and carbon dioxide from the environment and collect them in the leaf mesophyll tissue. In the presence of sunlight and with the help of chlorophyll, producers produce food (glucose) by chemical reaction of water and carbon dioxide. And convert solar energy to potential energy. Finally produces water and oxygen as by-products. In this way producers in an ecosystem make food.

This generated food is used by consumers. Consumers use this generated food energy for their own physiological activities. When these consumers die, they are decomposed by more organisms in the ecosystem, and their bodies are buried in the soil. As a result, the nutrients of the consumer’s body are absorbed into the soil. The plants absorb the nutrients and grow and develop themselves.

Thus the producers and the consumers of an ecosystem are interrelated.  The food chain is formed by the combination of producers and consumers of the ecosystem. The role of producers and consumers is crucial in an ecosystem (5) & (6).

Difference between producer and consumer

An ecosystem producer is one who produces food. Consumers are those who consume food produced by producers and nourish their bodies. The difference between producer and consumer is (2) & (4).

Content	Producer	Consumer
1. Class	They belong to the autotrophs.	Consumers belong to the heterotrophs.
2. Food production	Can make their own food. Thus does not depend on others for food.	Consumers are unable to produce food. They depend on producers for food.
3. Dependence	Are not dependent on any other animals or plants	Consumers are dependent on producers and other animals.
4. Food supply	Supply food to the consumers.	Consumers cannot provide food. They take food made from producers.
5. Presence of chlorophyll	Chlorophyll is present in their body. So they can make food.	They cannot make food because they do not have presence of chlorophyll in their body.
6. Binding solar energy	Use solar energy directly by binding it to their bodies.	They cannot bind solar energy to their bodies.
7. Participate in photosynthesis	They Participate in photosynthesis and produce food.	They have no role in the process of photosynthesis.
8. Role of oxygen	Release oxygen in the process of photosynthesis. They supply oxygen to the environment.	Consumers cannot generate oxygen. They take in oxygen from the environment.
9. Supply of substances	They absorb carbon dioxide from the environment and release oxygen during food preparation.	Consumers absorb oxygen from the environment and release carbon dioxide into the environment.
10. Occupancy	Occupy a large part of the world’s biomass.	Consumers occupy a small part of the world’s biomass.
11. Location	They are located at the lowest level of the trophic level in an ecosystem.	Consumers are located from the second level to the highest level of the trophic level.
12. Number	The number of producers (green plants) is more than the number of consumers in the ecosystem.	The number of consumers is less than the number of producers in the ecosystem.
13. Spatiality/ continuity	They cannot move from one place to another place except floating plants.	Consumers can move from one place to another.
14. Number of layers	It has one layer.	Has multiple food layers.