Final answer:
The statement that all heterotrophs must eat food to get energy is a) true. They cannot synthesize their own food and are dependent on consuming other organisms for energy and carbon.
Step-by-step explanation:
All heterotrophs must indeed eat food to get energy, making the statement true. Heterotrophs cannot produce their own food through processes such as photosynthesis, so they rely on other organisms for energy and carbon. This group includes all animals, fungi, and many protists and bacteria. They can be herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, or decomposers depending on their dietary habits. Autotrophs, on the other hand, can create food using sunlight, which is then used by heterotrophs either directly or indirectly through a trophic chain. If autotrophs were to vanish, so would the heterotrophs that depend on them for their survival.