AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -An autotroph is an organism that can produce its own food using light, water, carbon dioxide, or other chemicals. Because autotrophs produce their own food, they are sometimes called producers. Plants are the most familiar type of autotroph, but there are many different kinds of autotrophic organisms.

Detailed explanation-2: -Examples of some autotrophs besides green plants are cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), green algae and red algae. Q.

Detailed explanation-3: -The mode of nutrition in which organisms make food themselves from simple substances is called autotrophic (auto = self; trophos = nourishment) nutrition. Therefore, plants are called autotrophs. Animals and most other organisms take in food prepared by plants. They are called heterotrophs (heteros = other).

Detailed explanation-4: -Autotrophs are vital to all ecosystems because all organisms need organic molecules and only autotrophs can produce them from inorganic compounds. There are two basic types of autotrophs: photoautotrophs and chemoautotrophs.