In a food chain, consumers gather energy by
a. consuming organisms at a lower trophic level
b. consuming organisms at a higher trophic level
c. decomposing dead organic matter
d. absorbing sunlight directly

The correct answer would be a. consuming organisms at a lower trophic level.

Consumers or heterotrophs are the organisms which depend on other organisms for their energy and nutritional needs.

They consume organisms present at lower trophic levels in order to get their nutrition.

They can be broadly classified as:

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c. is the correct answer