Which type of organism is capable of making its own food?

The correct answer is the type of organism known as an autotroph. Autotrophs are capable of producing their own food through processes such as photosynthesis or chemosynthesis. In photosynthesis, for example, these organisms, like plants, use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen. This ability to synthesize food from inorganic substances is what distinguishes autotrophs from other types of organisms.

Heterotrophs, in contrast, cannot produce their own food and rely on consuming other organisms or organic matter for energy. Decomposers, while essential for breaking down dead material and recycling nutrients, also do not make their own food but obtain nutrients by consuming organic material. Consumers are a broader category that includes organisms that eat other living things, which can further include both herbivores and carnivores, but again, they do not synthesize their own food. This clear distinction makes autotrophs unique in the biological world as the primary producers in ecosystems.