The term for organisms that obtain food by consuming other living things is "heterotrophs." Heterotrophs rely on other organisms—plants, animals, or decomposers—for their nutritional needs, as they cannot produce their own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis. This category includes a vast range of life forms, from herbivores and carnivores to omnivores and scavengers. Heterotrophs play crucial roles in ecosystems, contributing to food webs by transferring energy and nutrients from producers (like plants) to higher trophic levels. Their diversity contributes to the interdependence of species within various habitats.