Photosynthesis is a process which utilizes carbon dioxide and water to produce sugars with the aid of sunlight. Phototrophs convert the electromagnetic energy of the sunlight into chemical energy by reducing carbon. During photosynthesis, autotrophs reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide and generate organic compounds in the form of simple sugars, storing the light energy.
Photosynthesis also converts water into oxygen and releases to the atmosphere. The simple sugar glucose is polymerized to form storage sugars like starch and cellulose which are long-chain carbohydrates. Proteins and fats are produced by the polymerization of glucose as well. Examples for phototrophs include plants, algae like kelp, protists like euglena, phytoplankton and bacteria like cyanobacteria. Figure 1: A phototrophic fern. Chemotrophs, on the contrary, use electron donors from either organic or inorganic sources as their energy source.
Lithotrophs use electrons from inorganic chemical sources like hydrogen sulfide, ammonium ions, ferrous ions and elemental sulfur.
Most bacteria like Acidithiobacillusferrooxidans, which are an iron bacteria, Nitrosomonas, which are nitrosifying bacteria, Nitrobactor which is a nitrifying bacteria, and Algae are examples for chemolithotrophs.
Chemotrophs are mostly found on ocean floors where the sunlight is unable to reach. A black smoker, which is a hydrothermal vent found on the seabed, containing higher levels ofsulfur is a good source forsulfur bacteria. Heterotrophs are organisms which are unable to fix inorganic carbon and thereby utilize organic carbon as a carbon source. Heterotrophs use organic compounds produced by autotrophs like carbohydrates, proteins and fats, for their growth.
Most living organisms are heterotrophs. Chemotrophs are a class of organisms that obtain their energy through the oxidation of inorganic molecules, such as iron and magnesium. The most common type of chemotrophic organisms are prokaryotic and include both bacteria and fungi. All of these organisms require carbon to survive and reproduce. The ability of chemotrophs to produce their own organic or carbon-containing molecules differentiates these organisms into two different classifications—chemoautotrophs and chemoheterotrophs.
Organismal and environmental interactions in a wetland : sources of energy and carbon for each trophic level. Chemoautotrophs are able to synthesize their own organic molecules from the fixation of carbon dioxide. These organisms are able to produce their own source of food, or energy. The energy required for this process comes from the oxidation of inorganic molecules such as iron, sulfur or magnesium.
Chemoautotrophs are able to thrive in very harsh environments, such as deep sea vents, due to their lack of dependence on outside sources of carbon other than carbon dioxide. Chemoautotrophs include nitrogen fixing bacteria located in the soil, iron oxidizing bacteria located in the lava beds, and sulfur oxidizing bacteria located in deep sea thermal vents.
Chemoheterotrophs, unlike chemoautotrophs, are unable to synthesize their own organic molecules. Instead, these organisms must ingest preformed carbon molecules, such as carbohydrates and lipids, synthesized by other organisms. They do, however, still obtain energy from the oxidation of inorganic molecules like the chemoautotrophs. Moreover, photosynthesis sustains the autotrophs that heterotrophs depend on to survive. While meat-eating carnivores may not directly depend on photosynthetic plants to survive, they do depend on other animals that consume photosynthetic plants as a food source.
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Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service. Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives. A cell is the smallest unit that is typically considered alive and is a fundamental unit of life. Autotrophs are organisms that can produce their own food from the substances available in their surroundings using light photosynthesis or chemical energy chemosynthesis.
Heterotrophs cannot synthesize their own food and rely on other organisms — both plants and animals — for nutrition. Technically, the definition is that autotrophs obtain carbon from inorganic sources like carbon dioxide CO2 while heterotrophs get their reduced carbon from other organisms. Autotrophs are usually plants; they are also called "self feeders" or "primary producers".
Heterotrophs survive by feeding on organic matter produced by or available in other organisms. There are two types of heterotrophs:. Autotrophs do not depend on other organism for their food.
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