Question

How do consumers obtain the carbon that they need for their life processes?

They breathe it in from the surrounding air.
They break down the plants and animals they eat.
They absorb it from the surrounding soil.
They absorb it from water through their pores.

Answer 1

They break down the plants and animals they eat.

Consumers obtain organic carbon by eating (and digesting) other organisms. They cannot make their own organic molecules from CO2, so they rely on the carbon in food for growth and energy.