Which of the following food chains includes a producer?

A food chain must start with a producer, which is an organism that can create its own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis. In the correct answer, the food chain starts with plants, which are classic examples of producers in an ecosystem. They harness energy from sunlight to create organic matter, serving as the foundation of the food chain.

Following the plants in the sequence, ants (which may consume the plants or their seeds) and caterpillars (which typically feed on plant leaves) illustrate how energy and nutrients flow from producers to primary consumers and higher trophic levels.

In the other options, the initial organisms listed do not represent producers. For example, in the second option, insects are consumers that feed on plants or other organic matter but do not produce their own energy. Similarly, the third option starts with cattle, which are herbivores and rely on grasses for energy; again, grasses would be the producer but they are not the first organism listed. The fourth option begins with red ants, which are also consumers. Thus, only the first choice begins with a producer, fitting the criteria of a proper food chain.