Final answer:
Producers or autotrophs are the organisms that obtain energy only from other producers. Autotrophs are vital in ecosystems as they provide energy for other organisms.
Step-by-step explanation:
Autotrophs, also known as producers, are organisms that obtain energy directly from the sun or from chemical bonds to produce organic compounds from simple inorganic molecules. They are vital to ecosystems because they produce organic molecules that other organisms rely on. Autotrophs can be divided into two types: photoautotrophs and chemoautotrophs.
Photoautotrophs, such as plants and algae, use light energy to perform photosynthesis and produce food. Chemoautotrophs, like certain bacteria, synthesize sugars by extracting energy from inorganic chemical compounds. Thus, autotrophs or producers are the kind of organisms that obtain energy only from other producers. They are the primary source of energy in an ecosystem.