Content
- What are autotrophs and heterotrophs?
- Autotrophic and heterotrophic nutrition - Differences and curiosities
- autotrophic nutrition
- Heterotrophic nutrition
- Examples of autotrophic beings
- Examples of heterotrophs
Do you know how beings that live on Earth nourish and receive energy? We know that animals receive energy when they eat, but what about algae or other beings that do not have a mouth and digestive system, for example?
In this PeritoAnimal article, we'll see what the definition of autotrophs and heterotrophs, the differences between the autotrophic and heterotrophic nutrition and some examples to understand them better. Keep reading the article to learn more about the beings that inhabit our planet!
What are autotrophs and heterotrophs?
Before explaining the definition of autotrophic and heterotrophic, it is very important to know what carbon is. the carbon it is the chemical element of life, capable of structuring itself in various ways and establishing connections with a multitude of chemical elements. Furthermore, its low mass makes it the perfect element for life. We're all made of carbon and, in one way or another, we need to remove it of the environment around us.
Both the word "autotroph" and "heterotroph" are derived from the Greek. The word "autos" means "by itself", "heteros" means "other", and "trophe" means "nutrition". According to this etymology, we understand that an autotrophic being creates its own food is that a heterotrophic being needs another being to feed.
Autotrophic and heterotrophic nutrition - Differences and curiosities
autotrophic nutrition
You beings autotrophs they create their own food through carbon fixation, that is, autotrophs get their carbon directly from carbon dioxide (CO2) that makes up the air we breathe or that is dissolved in water, and use this inorganic carbon to create organic carbon compounds and create your own cells. This transformation is done through a mechanism called photosynthesis.
Autotrophic beings can be photoautotrophic or chemoautotrophic. Photoautotrophs use light as an energy source to fix carbon, and chemoautotrophs use other chemicals as an energy source, such as hydrogen sulfide, elemental sulfur, ammonia and ferrous iron. All the plants and some bacteria, archaea and protists get their carbon this way. If you want to know more about these organisms we just mentioned, find out in PeritoAnimal the classification of living beings into 5 kingdoms.
THE photosynthesis it is the process by which green plants and other organisms transform light energy into chemical energy. During photosynthesis, light energy is captured by an organelle called a chloroplast, present in the cells of these organisms, and is used to convert water, carbon dioxide and other minerals into organic compounds rich in oxygen and energy.
Heterotrophic nutrition
On the other hand, beings heterotrophs they get 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 (any living thing and its waste, from bacteria to mammals), such as plants or animals. All animals and fungi are heterotrophic.
There are two types of heterotrophic beings: photoheterotrophic and chemoheterotrophic. Photoheterotrophs use light energy for energy, but they need organic matter as a carbon source. Chemoheterotrophs get their energy through a chemical reaction that releases energy by breaking down organic molecules. 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 beings autotrophs and heterotrophs it resides in the source used to obtain food.
Examples of autotrophic beings
- At green plants and atseaweed they are autotrophic beings par excellence, specifically, photoautotrophic. They use light as an energy source. These organisms are fundamental to the food chains of all ecosystems in the world.
- Ferrobacteria: are chemoautotrophic, and obtain their energy and food from inorganic substances that exist in their environment. We can find these bacteria in iron-rich soils and rivers.
- sulfur bacteria: chemoautotrophic, live in accumulations of pyrite, which is a mineral made of sulfur, on which they feed.
Examples of heterotrophs
- You herbivores, omnivores and carnivores they are all heterotrophs, because they feed on other animals and plants.
- Fungi and protozoa: Absorb organic carbon from their environment. They are chemoheterotrophic.
- Non-sulfur purple bacteria: are photoheterotrophic and use non-sulfur organic acids to obtain energy, but carbon is obtained from organic matter.
- Heliobacteria: they are also photoheterotrophic and require sources of organic carbon found in the soil, especially in rice plantations.
- Oxidizing Manganese Bacteria: are chemoheterotrophic beings that use lava rocks to obtain energy, but depend on their environment to obtain organic carbon.
If you want to know more about nutrition in living beings, we invite you to discover other articles from PeritoAnimal, such as "Carnivorous animals - Examples and curiosities" or "Herbivorous animals - Examples and curiosities".
