Answer :
Heterotrophs must obtain their energy from other living things, whereas autotrophs can harness the sun's energy.
Organisms can be categorized into two main groups: autotrophs and heterotrophs, based on how they receive energy and nutrients. Because they can manufacture their own food from raw materials and energy, autotrophs are referred to as producers. Numerous varieties of bacteria, plants, and algae are examples.
When an organism uses other plants or animals for food and energy, it is referred to as a heterotroph. Heterotrophs are a group of organisms that are found in the second and third tiers of a food chain, and their name derives from the Greek terms hetero, which means "other," and troponin. Each food chain is composed of three trophic levels, which describe an organism's role in an ecosystem. Autotrophs, which include plants and algae, make up the first trophic level of the food chain. Herbivores—animals that eat plants—dwell on the second level. Omnivores and carnivores (animals that eat meat) live on the third level (animals that consume both plants and meat). Primary consumers (herbivores) and secondary consumers (carnivores and omnivores) are both heterotrophs, which means "nutrition," whereas primary producers are autotrophs.
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Final answer:
Heterotrophs obtain energy through the consumption of other organisms, while autotrophs make their own food via photosynthesis. These two groups play crucial roles in the carbon exchange within biological ecosystems.
Explanation:
Heterotrophs are organisms that obtain their energy from consuming other organisms. This term comes from the Greek roots “hetero” meaning 'other', and “troph” meaning 'feeder'. This means that their food - and therefore their energy source - originates from other organisms. An example of heterotrophs includes animals such as deer and wolves. The deer obtains its energy from eating plants, which are autotrophs. The wolf that eats the deer indirectly gets its energy that originally came from the plants. This is because plants, being autotrophs, are able to make their own food from inorganic raw materials like carbon dioxide and water via a process known as photosynthesis in the presence of sunlight - an ability heterotrophs do not possess.
Hence, heterotrophs and autotrophs play key roles in the carbon exchange within biological systems. Heterotrophs break down the high-energy carbon compounds they get from autotrophs via respiration to obtain their cellular energy (such as ATP). Autotrophs, meanwhile, need this carbon and obtain it from the oxygen and carbon dioxide that the heterotrophs release. This constant exchange of gases is one way that the carbon cycle connects all living organisms on Earth.
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