Which organisms primarily consume plants?

Herbivores are organisms that primarily consume plants and are an essential part of the food web. They have adaptations that enable them to efficiently extract nutrients from plant material, such as specialized digestive systems capable of breaking down tough plant fibers. This group includes animals like cows, deer, and many insects, which play a crucial role in ecosystems by converting plant biomass into energy that can be utilized by higher trophic levels such as carnivores.

Predators, on the other hand, primarily feed on other animals, while carnivores specifically consume flesh and do not typically consume plant matter as their main source of nutrients. Decomposers are organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem, but they do not consume living plants. Thus, herbivores are uniquely adapted to and focused on consuming plants, making them the correct answer in this context.