Gotta have this study guide done for tomorrow

Microorganisms aren’t all decomposers; in fact, many act as producers or primary consumers in an ecosystem. how do microorganisms that act as producers benefit the rest of an ecosystem in terms of energy transfer? what about microorganisms that act as primary consumers?

Coat color in cats is determined by genes at several different loci. at one locus on the x chromosome, one allele (x ) encodes black fur and another allele (xo) encodes orange fur. females can be black (x x ), orange (xoxo), or a mixture of orange and black called tortoiseshell (x xo). males are either black (x y) or orange (xoy). bill has a female tortoiseshell cat named patches. one night, patches escapes from bill\'s house, spends the night out, and mates with a stray male. patches later gives birth to the following kittens: one orange male, one black male, two tortoiseshell females, and one orange female. what are the genotypes of patches, the stray male, and the kittens?

9. the history of life on earth is recorded in