role of stuff in the ecosystem

[islandbreeze52]

Hey!!

ok...so i need to know what role each of the following things plays on the enviornment. I would totally love it if you could just tell me but giving me websites is cool too if you have to. ok so they are...

protists
plants

&&

animals

omg thanks soo much guys

ilu x3

[mith]

Isn't it pretty clear what plants do?

[AstusAleator]

laf

plants and protists are primary consumers of both minerals and sunlight. Protists and bacteria do most of the mineral fixing (though protists do a LOT of photosynthesis too - phytoplankton). Plants use minerals fixed by protists and bacteria, so I guess you could say protists and bacteria are the primary consumers, BUT, protists and bacteria also eat other one-celled organisms, or feed off of larger dead organisms, SO, the line is kinda shady.

Animals and bugs eat plants and protists/bacteria/fungi. They make up the rest of the food "chain" except that in the end, the bacteria/protists/fungi get a nice meal off of their dead bodies. Not to mention the symbiotic or parasitic bacteria/fungi/protists that feed off of living animals. So I guess in some ways the little guys are on the top of the food chain... and the bottom...

Have I sufficiently confused you? Good.