Producers are organisms that use energy from sunlight to produce their own food. Producers are at the bottom of the food chain, because they are eaten by herbivores and carnivores.

Producers use photosynthesis to create their own food from carbon dioxide, water and energy from sunlight. The process of photosynthesis occurs in the chloroplasts of plant cells. In this process, plants convert carbon dioxide into glucose (sugar) and oxygen through a series of chemical reactions.

Plants use the glucose they produce during photosynthesis to build new tissues and store some as starch or fat for later use. This stored energy can be used when they are not actively producing new tissues or growing larger by absorbing nutrients from the soil. Plants also use some of the light energy they collect during photosynthesis to make pigments like chlorophyll so that they can capture more light energy for photosynthesis.

Last modified: September 24, 2022