Final answer:
Animals require proteins and fats from their diet for constructing organic molecules, with proteins providing amino acids and nitrogen, and fats supplying concentrated energy and materials for cell membranes and hormones. Essential nutrients like certain amino acids, fatty acids, and vitamins must be obtained from the diet.
Step-by-step explanation:
Essential Nutrients in Animal Diets
Animals must obtain proteins and fats from their diet to provide the raw materials for constructing other necessary organic molecules in the body. Proteins supply amino acids, which are the building blocks for new proteins and are also used to synthesize nucleic acids. Fats provide a concentrated energy source and are the building blocks for cell membranes and hormones.
Both proteins and fats provide carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, which are essential for the synthesis of various organic molecules in the body, while proteins additionally provide nitrogen, which is crucial for synthesizing nucleic acids and other nitrogenous compounds. These nutrients are critical as they are involved in vital processes such as energy production, cellular repair, and growth.
Despite the body's capacity to synthesize many molecules, it cannot produce certain essential nutrients such as specific amino acids and fatty acids, thereby necessitating their inclusion in the diet. Vitamins, though required in smaller amounts, are also essential nutrients that must be derived from the diet because they serve as coenzymes in a wide range of biochemical reactions.