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Autotrophs are organisms that produce organic compounds and oxygen from simple substances using energy from light or inorganic reactions. They are the primary producers in food chains and support all life on Earth. Learn about the history, variants, and examples of autotrophs, and how they perform photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation.
- Autotroph Definition
- Types of Autotrophs
- Examples of Autotrophs
- Related Biology Terms
- Quiz
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Autotrophs are organisms that can produce their own food, using materials from inorganic sources. The word “autotroph” comes from the root words “auto” for “self” and “troph” for “food.” An autotroph is an organism that feeds itself, without the assistance of any other organisms. Autotrophs are extremely important because without them, no other for...
Scientists classify autotrophs according to how they obtain their energy. Types of autotrophs include photoautotrophs, and chemoautotrophs.
Plants
Plants, with very few exceptions (such as the venus fly trap which can eat insects) are photoautotrophs. They produce sugars and other essential ingredients for life by using their pigments, such as chlorophyll, to capture photons and harness their energy. When plants are consumed by animals, animals are then able to use that energy and those organic materials for themselves.
Green Algae
Green algaes, which may be familiar to you as pond scum, are also photoautotrophs. Green algae may in fact bear a great resemblance to the first common life form on Earth – cyanobacteria, a green bacteria that grew in mats and began the process of turning Earth into a world with an oxygen atmosphere.
”Iron Bacteria” – Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans
The bacterium Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidansobtains energy from ferrous iron. In the process, it converts the iron atoms from a molecular form where they cannot be dissolved in water to a molecular form where they can. As a result, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidanshas been used to extract iron from ores that could not be extracted through conventional means. The field of biohydrometallurgy is the study of using living organisms to obtain metals by dissolving them in water, where they can be furt...
Energy pyramid– A structure that shows the flow of energy through an ecosystem.Heterotroph– An organism that relies on other organisms, such as plants or prey animals, for food.Photosynthesis– The process used by phototrophs to extract energy from sunlight.1. Which of the following statements is true of chemoautotrophs? A. They harness energy from sunlight to make food. B. They rely on other organisms, such as plants and prey animals, for food. C. They harness energy from chemicals such as hydrogen, sulfur, and iron to make food. D.None of the above. 2. Which of the following is NOT an example of a p...
Autotrophs are organisms that can produce their own food, using materials from inorganic sources. Learn about photoautotrophs and chemoautotrophs, the two types of autotrophs, and see examples of each.
Feb 28, 2020 · Autotrophs are organisms which create their own food using inorganic material. They can do so using light, water, and carbon dioxide, in a process known as photosynthesis, or by using a variety of chemicals through a method called chemosynthesis. As producers, autotrophs are essential building blocks of any ecosystem.
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Autotroph, in ecology, an organism that serves as a primary producer in a food chain. Autotrophs obtain energy and nutrients by harnessing sunlight through photosynthesis (photoautotrophs) or, more rarely, obtain chemical energy through oxidation (chemoautotrophs) to make organic substances from.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Mar 1, 2024 · Autotrophs, also known as self-feeders, are able to adapt to their surroundings by converting sunlight into energy through photosynthesis. This unique ability allows autotrophs to sustain themselves and play a vital role in the Earth’s ecosystems.
Autotrophs store chemical energy in carbohydrate food molecules they build themselves. Most autotrophs make their "food" through photosynthesis using the energy of the sun. Heterotrophs cannot make their own food, so they must eat or absorb it. Chemosynthesis is used to produce food using the chemical energy stored in inorganic molecules.
Oct 19, 2023 · An autotroph is an organism that can produce its own food using light, water, carbon dioxide, or other chemicals. Because autotrophs produce their own food, they are sometimes called producers.
