Final answer:
Producers, vital to all ecosystems, are known as autotrophs and are responsible for making organic molecules using inorganic ones.
Step-by-step explanation:
Producers are organisms that are capable of producing their own food using light or chemical energy. They are essential for all ecosystems because they make organic molecules that all other organisms need for survival. Producers are known as autotrophs. These organisms come in two types: photoautotrophs, which capture energy from sunlight, and chemoautotrophs, which obtain energy from chemical compounds.
In contrast, heterotrophs or consumers must ingest or absorb their food because they are not able to synthesize it internally. This group includes all animals, fungi, and many protists and bacteria. Finally, another group, decomposers, plays a critical role in ecosystems by recycling nutrients, although they are not producers.
Therefore, the correct answer to the question 'What are producers called?' is B. Autotrophs, since producers synthesize their own organic compounds and do not rely on other organisms for food.