Which organisms release carbon dioxide as waste? consumers only consumers and decomposers producers and decomposers producers only

The correct answer is "consumers and decomposers". Here's why:

1. Consumers: These are organisms that cannot produce their own food. They rely on consuming other organisms for energy. Humans are an example of consumers. When consumers eat food and use it for energy, their bodies combine the food with oxygen to do so. This process is called cellular respiration, and one of its byproducts is carbon dioxide, which is released as waste.

2. Decomposers: These are organisms that break down dead or decaying organisms, and in doing so, they carry out the natural process of decomposition. Like consumers, decomposers also undergo cellular respiration to gain energy from the organic material they break down, releasing carbon dioxide as a byproduct.

Producers, such as plants, do release some carbon dioxide through cellular respiration, but they also absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis, a process that produces oxygen. Therefore, they are not considered to be net releasers of carbon dioxide.