heterotroph
Definition
Noun: An organism that cannot produce its own food and must obtain its nutritional requirements by consuming complex organic substances from other sources, typically by ingesting other organisms or their products.
Usage
Heterotroph is a scientific term used primarily in biology and ecology to classify organisms based on their mode of nutrition. It contrasts with autotrophs, which can produce their own food.
Examples
- All animals are heterotrophs because they eat plants or other animals.
- Fungi are heterotrophs that absorb nutrients from decaying organic matter.
- In an ecosystem, heterotrophs are also known as consumers.
Advanced Usage
- Obligate Heterotroph: An organism that must always consume organic compounds and cannot use inorganic sources of carbon.
- Humans are obligate heterotrophs.
- The concept is central to understanding food chains and trophic levels, where heterotrophs occupy the consumer levels.
Variants and Related Words
- Heterotrophic (adjective): Describing the nutritional mode of a heterotroph.
- Animals have a heterotrophic mode of nutrition.
- Heterotrophy (noun): The state or condition of being a heterotroph.
Synonyms
- Consumer
- Organotroph (in specific biochemical contexts)
Antonyms
- Autotroph
- Producer
Noun
-
an organism that depends on complex organic substances for nutrition
Khám phá thêm
Các từ liên quan
Từ chứa "heterotroph"