Biology Regents Practice Exam

Why is a fruit fly classified as a consumer?

1. It reproduces asexually

2. It synthesizes its own food

3. It releases energy stored in organic molecules

4. It cannot synthesize its own food

The correct answer is: It cannot synthesize its own food

A fruit fly is classified as a consumer because it cannot synthesize its own food, making it reliant on consuming other organisms for energy and nutrients. Unlike producers, which have the capability to create their own food from sunlight through photosynthesis or through chemosynthesis, consumers are heterotrophic. This means they obtain organic molecules by eating other organisms. In the case of the fruit fly, it typically feeds on decaying fruit and other organic matter, which provides it with the necessary energy and building blocks for growth and reproduction. This behavior is characteristic of consumers in the food web, where they play an important role in the transfer of energy from producers to higher trophic levels. The other options misrepresent the characteristics of fruit flies and their role in the ecosystem: reproducing asexually does not relate to their dietary habits, synthesizing food would classify them as producers, and releasing energy stored in organic molecules is a process that occurs in all organisms, not specifically defining their consumer status.