EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -A heterotroph is an organism that eats other plants or animals for energy and nutrients. The term stems from the Greek words hetero for “other” and trophe for “nourishment.” Organisms are characterized into two broad categories based upon how they obtain their energy and nutrients: autotrophs and heterotrophs.

Detailed explanation-2: -A heterotroph is an organism that consumes other organisms in a food chain.

Detailed explanation-3: -“Heterotroph is an organism that is unable to synthesize its own food, and therefore, has to rely on other sources, specifically plant and animal matter.” All animals and non-photosynthetic plants are classified as heterotrophs since they are unable to prepare food.

Detailed explanation-4: -The heterotrophs consume the autotrophs or the sugar molecules. The heterotrophs perform cellular respiration to break down these complex organic molecules and release energy in the form of ATP. Thus, indirectly or directly, all autotrophs and heterotrophs-depend on the sun as the source of energy.

Detailed explanation-5: -The organisms that are unable to prepare their own food and depend on other organisms for their food are called heterotrophs and this of nutrition is called heterotrophic nutrition. Examples: cows, tigers, humans.