Question

A bacterium requires only a particular amino acid as an organic nutrient and lives in a completely lightless environment. What mode of nutrition (free energy and carbon) does it use? Justify your response.

a) Chemoautotroph; utilizing organic compounds for energy and carbon
b) Photoautotroph; utilizing light for energy and organic compounds for carbon
c) Chemoheterotroph; utilizing organic compounds for energy and carbon
d) Photoheterotroph; utilizing light for energy and organic compounds for carbon

Answer 1

The bacterium is a chemoheterotroph, obtaining energy and carbon from organic compounds.

Step-by-step explanation:

d. Chemoheterotroph, as it must rely on chemical sources of energy living in a lightless environment and a heterotroph if it uses organic compounds other than carbon dioxide for its carbon source.

A chemoheterotroph is an organism that obtains energy and carbon from organic compounds. In this case, the bacterium requires a particular amino acid as its organic nutrient, indicating that it relies on organic compounds for both its energy and carbon needs. Additionally, since it lives in a completely lightless environment, it cannot obtain energy from light and instead must rely on chemical sources for energy.