Question

Which process is used by heterotrophs to obtain preformed organic molecules from the environment?

A) ingestion
B) egestion
C) dehydration synthesis
D) mechanical digestion

Answer 1

Ingestion is the process of taking in food through the mouth, where mechanical and chemical digestion begin to break down the food into smaller molecules that can be absorbed and used by the body.

Step-by-step explanation:

Ingestion:

The large molecules found in intact food cannot pass through the cell membranes. Food needs to be broken into smaller particles so that animals can harness the nutrients and organic molecules. The first step in this process is ingestion. Ingestion is the process of taking in food through the mouth. In vertebrates, the teeth, saliva, and tongue play important roles in mastication (preparing the food into bolus). While the food is being mechanically broken down, the enzymes in saliva begin to chemically process the food as well. The combined action of these processes modifies the food from large particles to a soft mass that can be swallowed and can travel the length of the esophagus.

Answer 2

The correct answer is A) ingestion

Step-by-step explanation:

Heterotrophs are organisms that depend on other organisms to get nutrition because they can not make their food. The process by which they take nutrition is called injection.

During ingestion, they consume the performed organic molecule. Mouth is the organ that helps in ingestion of the food. Then the food is digested in the body of the heterotrophs by the action of different enzymes.

For example, humans are heterotrophs that do ingestion of food from its mouth and then the food is digested by different hydrolytic enzymes. So the correct answer is A.