Examples of Autotrophic and Heterotrophic Organisms

All the living beings they need a feeding, that is, the arrival of coal and other essential substances for its mutualisms. According to the way in which these substances are acquired, organisms differentiate between autotrophs and heterotrophs.

The autotrophs They are capable of extracting carbon from the raw atmosphere and converting it into energy. For example: cactus, grass, flowers The heterotrophs are those who cannot produce their own food and must therefore obtain it by consuming others materials, which in some cases are the same as those produced by autotrophs. For example: tigers, mushrooms, humans.

Autotrophic organisms

The autotrophic organisms are those capable of developing organic material starting from an inorganic matter. They are capable of synthesizing the substances they need for their proper metabolic functioning through substances that are not organic.

Autotrophic organisms constitute a fundamental link on the food chain, because its metabolism allows the development of itself and other living beings: if it were not for them, life would not have been conceived as it is known in reality.

It is worth trying to think about how autotrophic organisms actually feed. There is a subdivision between those that are chemoautotrophs and photoautotrophs:

Examples of autotrophic organisms

1. Cactus
2. Herbs
3. Scrub
4. Pasture
5. Shrubbery
6. Trees
7. Plants
8. flowers
9. Nopales
10. Maguey

Heterotrophic organisms

The heterotrophic organisms, for their part, are those that must feed on organic substances synthesized by other organisms, either autotrophs or heterotrophs.

The nutritive substances that are incorporated in the case of heterotrophs are substances rich in organic matter (lipids, protein or carbohydrates). All the animals belong to the category of heterotrophs, but also bacteria they are part of that group.

Some organisms commonly mistaken for plants are actually heterotrophs, as is the case with mushrooms: these do not have chlorophyll, and therefore cannot develop their own food from the energy of light.

The process that determines cell feeding in the case of heterotrophs includes the capture, ingestion, digestion, the passage of the membrane and the subsequent expulsion of the molecules that are not useful (excretion).

Examples of heterotrophic organisms

1. Tigers
2. Elephants
3. Mushrooms
4. Rodents
5. Buffalo
6. Marmots
7. Humans
8. Chicken
9. Some bacteria
10. Protozoa

Finally, it must be said that there are some organisms that do not fit perfectly into the division between heterotrophs and autotrophs: some bacteria and others microorganismsFor their part, they can obtain carbon from autotrophic activity or depend on other organic material for this. These are considered mixotrophs, since they combine the activity of both groups.