Which term best describes an organism that feeds on dead matter to obtain energy?

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Build your vocabulary for the IGCSE Coordinated Science Exam. Study with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each with hints and explanations. Prepare for success!

Multiple Choice

Which term best describes an organism that feeds on dead matter to obtain energy?

Explanation:
Decomposers are organisms that feed on dead matter to obtain energy, breaking down organic material with enzymes and absorbing the resulting nutrients. This process recycles minerals back into the environment, making them available for producers like plants to use again. They differ from producers, which make their own energy from light, and from consumers, which obtain energy by eating other living organisms. Herbivores, a type of consumer, eat plants rather than dead matter. So the term that best fits an organism feeding on dead matter to get energy is decomposer.

Decomposers are organisms that feed on dead matter to obtain energy, breaking down organic material with enzymes and absorbing the resulting nutrients. This process recycles minerals back into the environment, making them available for producers like plants to use again. They differ from producers, which make their own energy from light, and from consumers, which obtain energy by eating other living organisms. Herbivores, a type of consumer, eat plants rather than dead matter. So the term that best fits an organism feeding on dead matter to get energy is decomposer.

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