Ants, can be predators, too, eating caterpillars and other insect larvae. However, they also disperse the seeds of many different kinds of plants to places safe from predators or fire. So even this apparently simple example involves birds, ants, lizards, caterpillars and many plant species. Additionally, the birds, ants, and lizards are involved in relationships with their parasites, which find shelter and food on or in the bodies of their hosts. These include animals such as ticks and intestinal worms.
Plants have parasites, such as aphids and fungi.
Finally, when they all eventually die, their bodies enter relationships with a variety of organisms collectively known as decomposers. These include insect larvae that consume part of the corpses, and bacteria and fungi that further break them down into their component chemicals which then become available for recycling. In virtually all ecosystems, the primary producers are the plants, which use solar energy to combine carbon dioxide and water to form energy-rich molecules, such as sugars and starches. These molecules, combined with nutrients from the soil, are built up to create cells, tissues and bodies. The energy and nutrients are then passed through the entire ecosystem via herbivores, carnivores, parasites and decomposers.