Final answer:
A heterotroph is an organism that cannot produce its own food and must obtain energy by consuming other organisms. These consumers include animals, fungi, protists, and bacteria, and they rely on autotrophs, such as plants, algae, and some bacteria, for energy.
Step-by-step explanation:
An organism that cannot make its own food and gets energy from the food it eats is called a heterotroph. These organisms are also known as consumers because they consume other organisms to obtain energy. Heterotrophs include all animals, fungi, many protists, and bacteria. They can be further classified as herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, and decomposers, depending on their diet.
Herbivores are animals that eat producers like plants or algae. Carnivores consume other animals, while omnivores eat a diet consisting of both plants and animals. Decomposers break down dead organic matter, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
Autotrophs, on the other hand, are organisms that can produce their own food through processes like photosynthesis or chemosynthesis, and they are essential providers of energy for heterotrophs.