what are autotrophs ? how are they different from heterotrophs?
Answers
Answer:
an organism that is able to form nutritional organic substances from simple inorganic substances such as carbon dioxide is called autotrophs.
Autotrophs are organisms that prepare their own food through the process of photosynthesis, whereas heterotrophs are organisms that cannot prepare their own food and depend upon autotrophs for nutrition.”
Answer:
Autotrophs are organisms that prepare their own food through the process of photosynthesis, whereas heterotrophs are organisms that cannot prepare their own food and depend upon autotrophs for nutrition
Autotrophs are organisms that undergo autotrophic mode of nutrition. These are the organisms that can prepare their own food from simple substances like carbon dioxide and water. All green plants are examples of autotrophs. These green plants contain chlorophyll pigment in the plant cell that helps in the synthesis of their own food by absorbing energy from the sunlight. All autotrophs are producers and are placed at the primary level in the food web.
Carbohydrates can be converted to fatty acids to produce lipids. Other elements may be added to synthesize organic compounds such as proteins. Carbohydrates, proteins and lipids can be used as energy sources during respiration by both autotrophs and heterotrophs, recycling carbon dioxide so that it may again be used in photosynthesis
Heterotrophs are organisms which cannot prepare their own food and depend upon producers or green plants and other animals for their food. This mode of nutrition is known as the heterotrophic mode of nutrition.
Heterotrophs rely on autotrophs to provide a continuous supply of new organic molecules. Heterotrophs are considered as consumers in the food web and are placed at a secondary or tertiary level.
All the non-green plants and animals, inclusive of human beings, are the best examples of heterotrophs.
The heterotrophs are benefited from photosynthesis in many ways.
Directly by consuming plants as herbivores
Indirectly by attacking, killing and consuming other herbivores animals (carnivores) or both animals and plants (omnivores)
By using oxygen for the cellular respiration process