Question

The word heterotroph means "other feeder" or

a)Can capture energy from the sun and convert it into a more usable form
b)Able to photosynthesize
c)Make their own energy
d)Must rely on other organisms for energy
e)Able to make their own food

Answer 1

Heterotrophs are organisms that cannot synthesize their own food and must obtain energy by consuming other organisms. They are known as consumers and include animals, fungi, and more. Autotrophs, in contrast, can produce their own food through photosynthesis and are vital to the survival of heterotrophs.

Step-by-step explanation:

Heterotrophs are living organisms that cannot create their own food through photosynthesis. Instead, they must rely on other organisms for energy and carbon by consuming them. This leads to heterotrophs being classified as consumers, which include animals, fungi, and some protists and bacteria.

These organisms can be further categorized depending on their dietary habits, such as herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, or decomposers.

Heterotrophs are in stark contrast to autotrophs, which are capable of photosynthesis and can produce their own food using sunlight and carbon dioxide. Autotrophs, or producers, are essential to life on Earth as they form the base of food chains, supplying energy to heterotrophs.

Without autotrophs, heterotrophic organisms, including humans, would not be able to survive as they are the initial source of all chemical energy in food.