Heterotroph
From CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science
Heterotrophs are the organisms that depend on other organisms. (Hetero means other and troph means nutrition in Greek). [1] Animals, fungi, bacteria, and non-photosynthetic organisms are the examples of the heterotrophs. (Purves, 1060)
The heterotrophs need to get organic compounds either directly or indirectly. They ingest other organisms or their products or digest organisms. (Purves, 620)
Heterotrophs occupy the consumer trophic level. They consume the primary producers first compare to other consumers, so they are called primary consumers. If the heterotrophic organisms consume plants, they are called herbivores. When organisms consume the herbivores, they are called second consumers. Tertiary consumers eat the second consumers and so on. (Purves, 1060)
Most plants are the autotrophs, but some plants live as the parasitic lives. Therefore, these kinds of the plants are the heterotrophs. The heterotrophs cannot synthesize the organic and inorganic compounds as the autotrophs. They consume the autotrophs or other heterotrophs to get energy. The heterotrophs have carbon from the organic compounds. [2] Depending on how the heterotrophs use carbon, there are two subtypes of the heterotrophs.
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