A Heterotroph (Greek Greek an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical ancient Greek literature and the New Testament of ἕτερος heteros = another and τροφή trophe = nutrition) is an organism In biology, an organism is any living system . In at least some form, all organisms are capable of response to stimuli, reproduction, growth and development, and maintenance of homeostasis as a stable whole. An organism may either be unicellular (single-celled) or be composed of, as in humans, many billions of cells grouped into specialized that uses organic An organic compound is any member of a large class of chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of compounds such as carbonates, simple oxides of carbon and cyanides, as well as the allotropes of carbon, are considered inorganic. The division between "organic" and " carbon for growth.^[1] This contrasts with autotrophs An autotroph [α] is an organism that produces complex organic compounds from simple inorganic molecules using energy from light or inorganic chemical reactions, such as plants Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. They include familiar organisms such as trees, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The scientific study of plants, known as botany, has identified about 350,000 extant species of plants, defined as seed plants, bryophytes, ferns and fern allies. As of 2004,, which are able to directly use sources of energy, such as light Light is electromagnetic radiation, particularly radiation of a wavelength that is visible to the human eye . In physics, the term light sometimes refers to electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength, whether visible or not to produce organic substrates from inorganic carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom. It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure and exists in Earth's atmosphere in this state.

Ecology

Heterotrophs are known as consumers in food chains and obtain organic carbon by eating other heterotrophs or autotrophs. They break down complex organic compounds that are produced by autotrophs.

All animals Animals are a major group of mostly multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and independently. Most animals are also are heterotrophic, as well as fungi A fungus is any member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. The Fungi (pronounced /ˈfʌndʒaɪ/ or /ˈfʌŋɡaɪ/) are classified as a kingdom that is separate from plants and animals. One major difference is that fungal cells have cell walls that and many bacteria The bacteria [bækˈtɪərɪə] (singular: bacterium)[α] are a large group of unicellular microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals. Bacteria are ubiquitous in every habitat on Earth, growing in soil, acidic hot springs, radioactive waste, water, and deep. Some animals, such as corals Corals are marine organisms from the class Anthozoa and exist as small sea anemone-like polyps, typically in colonies of many identical individuals. The group includes the important reef builders that are found in tropical oceans, which secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton, form symbiotic The term symbiosis commonly describes close and often long-term interactions between different biological species. The term was first used in 1879 by the German mycologist Heinrich Anton de Bary, who defined it as "the living together of unlike organisms." relationships with autotrophs and obtain organic carbon in this way. Furthermore, some parasitic plants A parasitic plant is one that derives some or all of its sustenance from another plant. About 4,100 species in approximately 19 families of flowering plants are known. Parasitic plants have a modified root, the haustorium, that penetrates the host plant and connects to the xylem, phloem, or both. Parasitic plants are characterized as follows: have also turned fully or partially heterotrophic, while so-called carnivorous plants consume animals to augment their nitrogen supply but are still autotrophic.

Different types

Two types of heterotroph are distinguished

• photoheterotroph Photoheterotrophs (Gk: photo = light, hetero = (an)other, troph = nourishment) are heterotrophic organisms which use light for energy, but cannot use carbon dioxide as their sole carbon source. Consequently, they use organic compounds from the environment to satisfy their carbon requirements. They use compounds such as carbohydrates, fatty acids — obtains energy In physics, energy is a scalar physical quantity that describes the amount of work that can be performed by a force, an attribute of objects and systems that is subject to a conservation law. Different forms of energy include kinetic, potential, thermal, gravitational, sound, light, elastic, and electromagnetic energy. The forms of energy are from light, but needs carbon in an organic form for growth
• chemoheterotroph — needs an organic source of carbon for both, energy source and growth

Organotrophs and lithotrophs

These terms refer to the chemical reactions that are involved in biosynthetic processes or respiration. Phototrophs and chemotrophs can be either lithotrophic A lithotroph is an organism that uses an inorganic substrate to obtain reducing equivalents for use in biosynthesis (e.g., carbon dioxide fixation) or energy conservation via aerobic or anaerobic respiration. Known lithotrophs are exclusively microbes or plants; No known macrofauna possesses the ability to utilize inorganic compounds as energy or organotrophic An organotroph is an organism that obtains hydrogen or electrons from organic substrates . Antonym: Lithotroph.

See also

• Primary nutritional groups The basis for energy metabolism of most chemotrophic organisms are oxidation-reduction reactions in which electrons move from an electron donor to an electron acceptor. Energy is released during the reaction. Therefore, compounds used as electron donors by chemotrophs must be diverted into both energy-yielding oxidative pathways and biosynthetic
• Auxotrophy
• Saprotrophic nutrition Saphrotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoautotrophic extra-cellular digestion involved in the processing of dead or decayed organic matter which occurs in saprotrophs or heterotrophs, and is most often associated with fungi such as the Mucor or Rhizopus. The process is most often facilited through the active transport of such materials through

References

1. ^ "heterotroph - definition of heterotroph by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.". www.thefreedictionary.com. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Heterotroph. Retrieved 2008-11-27.

Categories: Trophic ecology | Microbial growth and nutrition | Biology

What Links Here:

Most Popular Pages:

• Soalan-soalan Percubaan Pmr Perak 2009: Blogs
• Shopping
• Perawan Bugil: Images
• Chats and Forums: Images
• Domains for Sale
• Filmulete Cu Minore Futute: Blogs
• Memek Anak Sma: Blogs
• Aksi Lucah Awek: Images
• Togel Jitu: News
• Memek Anak Sma: Images

Related 'Heterotroph' Searches: