Do you know how people living on Earth are fed and energized?We know that animals receive energy when they eat, but what about algae or other beings that don’t have a mouth or digestive system, for example?
In this article by Animal Expert, we’ll look at the definition of autotrophs and heterotrophs, the differences between autotroph and heterotroph nutritions, and some examples to better understand them.Read the article to learn more about the people who inhabit our planet!
- Before explaining the definition of autotroph and heterotroph.
- It is very important to know what carbon is.
- Carbon is the chemical element of life.
- Capable of structuring in various ways and establishing links with a multitude of chemical elements.
- In addition.
- Its scarce mass makes it the perfect item for life.
- We are all made of carbon and.
- One way or another.
- We have to get it out of the environment around us.
The word “autotrophe” and “heterotroph” is derived from the Greek. The word “autos” means “alone”, “hetero” means “other” and “trophe” means “nutrition”. According to this etymology, it is understood that an autotrophic being creates its own food and that a heterotrophic being needs another being to feed itself.
They create their own food by fixing carbon, that is, autotrophs get their carbon directly from the carbon dioxide (CO2) that constitutes the air we breathe or dissolve in the water, and use that inorganic carbon to create organic carbon compounds and create their own cells This transformation is done through a mechanism called photosynthesis.
Autotrophic beings can be photoototrophs or chemoo-atoprophos.Photootoprophos use light as an energy source to fix carbon, and chemoootrotrophs use other chemicals as an energy source, such as hydrogen sulfide, elemental sulfur, ammonia, and ferrous iron.All plants and some bacteria, archaea and protists get their carbon this way.If you want to know more about these organisms that we have just mentioned, discover in Animal Expert the classification of living beings in 5 kingdoms.
Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants and other organisms convert light energy into chemical energy.During photosynthesis, light energy is captured by an organism called chloroplast, present in the cells of these organisms, and used to convert water, carbon dioxide and others.minerals in organic compounds rich in oxygen and energy.
On the other hand, trophies obtain their food from organic sources present in their environment, they cannot transform inorganic carbon into organic (proteins, carbohydrates, fats …).This means that they need to eat or absorb materials that have organic carbon (everything that is alive and their residues, from bacteria to mammals), such as plants or animals.All animals and fungi are heterotrophs.
There are two types of heterotrophic beings: photoheterotrophs and chemoheterotrophs; photoheterotrophs use the energy of light to obtain energy, but they need organic matter as a carbon source; chemoheterotrophs get their energy through a chemical reaction that releases energy by breaking down organics.For this reason, photoheterotrophic and chemoheterotrophic organisms need to eat living or dead beings to obtain energy and absorb organic matter.
In short, the difference between autotrophs and heterotrophs lies in the source they use to obtain food.
If you want to know more about the nutrition of living beings, we invite you to discover other articles of Animal Expert, such as “Carnivorous Animals – Examples and Curiosities” or “Herbivorous Animals – Examples and Curiosities”.
If you would like to read articles similar to, we recommend that you visit our Curiosities section of the animal world.