Land plants, or autotrophs, are terrestrial primary producers: organisms that manufacture, through photosynthesis, new organic molecules such as carbohydrates and lipids from raw inorganic materials (CO2, water, mineral nutrients. They use the process of photosynthesis to transform water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide into oxygen, and simple sugars that the plant uses as fuel. These primary producers form the base of an ecosystem and fuel the next trophic levels. Without this process, life on Earth as we know it would not be possible. Producers, a major niche in all ecosystems, undergo photosynthesis to produce food. All producers are autotrophic, or "self-feeding". In terrestrial ecosystems, producers are usually green plants. Freshwater and marine ecosystems frequently have algae as the dominant producers. The most common are photoautotrophs—producers that carry out photosynthesis. Trees, grasses, and shrubs are the most important terrestrial photoautotrophs. In most aquatic ecosystems, including lakes and oceans, algae are the most important photoautotrophs. A producer is an organism which produces its own food through photosynthesis. 3. A consumer is an organism which does not make its own food but must get its energy from eating a plant or animal. Plants are considered producers since they can produce their own food from non-living sources through a process known as photosynthesis. In photosynthesis, plants use sunlight and carbon dioxide to produce organic compounds. A producer in biology is also known as an autotroph. Thus, producers in science are organisms that can make their own food through biochemical processes. Producers are an important part of the food web in ecosystems. A food web is a diagram that shows the transfer of energy through different species. Plants and algae are able to make their own food using energy from the sun. These organisms are producers because they produce their own food. Green plants use sunlight and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to produce carbohydrates by the process of photosynthesis. Since, plants produce food for themselves, they are known as producers. Plants are considered producers since they can produce their own food from non-living sources through a process known as photosynthesis. In photosynthesis, plants use sunlight and carbon dioxide to produce organic compounds. These organic compounds become the energy source for many other organisms within an ecosystem. They use the process of photosynthesis to transform water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide into oxygen, and simple sugars that the plant uses as fuel. These primary producers form the base of an ecosystem and fuel the next trophic levels. Without this process, life on Earth as we know it would not be possible. As producers are the first level in a food system, they provide energy to the entire system. They do not rely on other organisms for food but instead get energy from the sun, which they convert into useful chemical energy. This conversion supports other organisms in the system thereby sustaining the food chain.