heterotrophic
/,hetərou'trɔfik/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Requiring organic compounds of carbon and nitrogen for nourishment: Describes an organism that cannot synthesize its own food and must obtain organic carbon and nutrients by consuming other organisms or their products.
Usage
- This term is primarily used in the fields of biology and ecology to classify organisms based on their nutritional methods.
- It is the opposite of "autotrophic."
- It is typically used attributively (before a noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb).
Examples
- Attributive use:
- Fungi and animals are classic examples of heterotrophic organisms.
- The heterotrophic bacteria in the soil break down dead plant matter.
- Predicative use:
- Most animals are heterotrophic.
- These protozoa are heterotrophic, feeding on smaller microbes.
Advanced Usage
- "Obligately heterotrophic": Describes an organism that is strictly heterotrophic and has no alternative nutritional mode.
- Humans are obligately heterotrophic; we cannot perform photosynthesis.
- In scientific classification, it is part of a fundamental dichotomy: heterotrophic vs. autotrophic nutrition.
Variants and Related Words
- Heterotroph (noun): An organism that is heterotrophic.
- A lion is a heterotroph.
- Heterotrophy (noun): The state or condition of being heterotrophic; the heterotrophic mode of nutrition.
- The process of heterotrophy is essential for nutrient cycling in ecosystems.
Synonyms
- Consumer (in ecological contexts, referring to an organism that obtains energy by consuming other organisms).
- Non-autotrophic.
Antonyms
- Autotrophic: Describing an organism capable of synthesizing its own food from inorganic substances, using light or chemical energy.
- Photosynthetic: A specific type of autotrophy using light energy.
Adjective
- requiring organic compounds of carbon and nitrogen for nourishment
- most animals are heterotrophic