Final answer:
Chemoautotrophs are bacteria that produce their own food using energy from inorganic chemical sources, other than light, through chemosynthesis.
Step-by-step explanation:
Only chemoautotrophs can get energy from an inorganic source other than light. Chemoautotrophs are a group of bacteria that can manufacture their own food not by using sunlight, but by extracting energy from inorganic chemical compounds. This process is known as chemosynthesis. Chemoautotrophs are unique because they can build organic molecules using carbon dioxide and obtain energy from inorganic compounds like hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) and reduced iron, thriving in environments where light is not available, such as deep sea vents.
Whereas plants, algae, and cyanobacteria use light as an energy source and are known as photoautotrophs, chemoautotrophs rely on purely chemical processes. This distinction is important in the study of ecology and understanding how primary producers are able to support diverse ecosystems in the absence of sunlight.