Question

How do microorganisms that act as producers benefit the rest of an ecosystem in terms of energy transfer? What about microorganisms that act as primary consumers?

Answer 1

Answer:

In an ecosystem, all organisms benefit in the process of transformation of energy.

Explanation:

An ecosystem works thanks to the constant transformation of energy. In the case of microorganisms that act as producers, they benefit the rest of the ecosystem in terms of energy transfer because they acquire the energy from a lowest trophic level to make it available for higher trophic levels.

In the case of the primary consumers, they are feeding from the primary producers, incorporating that energy to be part of the food chain. For example, bacteria in the soil are primary producer microorganisms; they transform organic material to make it available for small individuals. A soil worm is a primary consumer microorganism which will feed from this organic material transformed by the bacteria. The worm will then produce food and will be food for herbivores to continue with the flow of energy in the food chain.