Perhaps your question regards producents, consuments and reducents.
Producents produce organic compounds (from inorganic minerals in the environment most likely via photosynthesis, i.e. plants and photosynthetic bacteria)
Consumers consume organic compounds (from other living organims by devouring them, i.e. herbivorous and carnivorous animals)
Reducents reduce organic compounds (into inorganic minerals from other living and dead organisms, i.e. saprophytic bacteria and fungi)
The three components combined together stabilize the circle of matter in the ecoystem: inorganic compound is used to make organics, which then is transformed back into inorganics over and over and over again.
