A lettuce plant is classified as a producer. Producers are organisms that can make their own food through the process of photosynthesis. They use sunlight, carbon dioxide from the air, and water from the soil to create glucose, which serves as energy for growth and development.
In contrast, consumers are organisms that cannot produce their own food and must eat other organisms (plants or animals) to obtain energy. Decomposers, such as fungi and bacteria, break down dead organic matter, returning essential nutrients to the soil.
Since lettuce plants produce their own food and serve as a food source for consumers, they play a vital role in the ecosystem as producers, contributing to the energy flow within food webs.