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A heterotroph (/ ˈ h ɛ t ər ə ˌ t r oʊ f,-ˌ t r ɒ f /; [1] [2] from Ancient Greek ἕτερος (héteros) 'other' and τροφή (trophḗ) 'nutrition') is an organism that cannot produce its own food, instead taking nutrition from other sources of organic carbon, mainly plant or animal matter. In the food chain, heterotrophs are ...
All eukaryotes except for green plants and algae are unable to manufacture their own food: They obtain food from other organisms. This mode of nutrition is also known as heterotrophic nutrition. All heterotrophs (except blood and gut parasites) have to convert solid food into soluble compounds which are capable of being absorbed (digestion ...
For example, most plants are photolithoautotrophic, since they use light as an energy source, water as electron donor, and CO 2 as a carbon source. All animals and fungi are chemoorganoheterotrophic , since they use organic substances both as chemical energy sources and as electron/hydrogen donors and carbon sources.
An example is the koala, because it feeds only on eucalyptus leaves. Primary consumers that feed on many kinds of plants are called generalists. Secondary consumers are small/medium-sized carnivores that prey on herbivorous animals. Omnivores, which feed on both plants and animals, can be considered as being both primary and secondary consumers.
Another example of a multitrophic interaction is a trophic cascade, in which predators help to increase plant growth and prevent overgrazing by suppressing herbivores. Links in a food-web illustrate direct trophic relations among species, but there are also indirect effects that can alter the abundance, distribution, or biomass in the trophic ...
[5] [6] Living organisms that are heterotrophic include all animals and fungi, some bacteria and protists, [7] and many parasitic plants. The term heterotroph arose in microbiology in 1946 as part of a classification of microorganisms based on their type of nutrition. [8] The term is now used in many fields, such as ecology, in describing the ...
This is a list of plant genera that engage in myco-heterotrophic relationships with fungi. It does not include the fungi that are parasitized by these plants. Monocotyledons. Burmanniaceae (Dioscoreales) Afrothismia - 3 species; Apteria - 1 species; Burmannia - 60 species; Campylosiphon - 1 species; Dictyostega - 1 species; Gymnosiphon - 50 species
[2] Plant tissues are made up of resilient molecules (e.g. cellulose, lignin, xylan) that decay at a much lower rate than other organic molecules. The activity of detritivores is the reason why we do not see an accumulation of plant litter in nature. [2] [3] Two Adonis blue butterflies lap at a small lump of feces lying on a rock.