Definitions for heterotrophic
het·erotroph·ic

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.3 / 3 votes

1. heterotrophicadjective

   requiring organic compounds of carbon and nitrogen for nourishment

   "most animals are heterotrophic"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. heterotrophicadjective

   Being a heterotroph.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. heterotrophic

   A heterotroph (; from Ancient Greek ἕτερος (héteros) 'other', and τροφή (trophḗ) 'nutrition') is an organism that cannot produce its own food, instead taking nutrition from other sources of organic carbon, mainly plant or animal matter. In the food chain, heterotrophs are primary, secondary and tertiary consumers, but not producers. Living organisms that are heterotrophic include all animals and fungi, some bacteria and protists, and many parasitic plants. The term heterotroph arose in microbiology in 1946 as part of a classification of microorganisms based on their type of nutrition. The term is now used in many fields, such as ecology in describing the food chain. Heterotrophs may be subdivided according to their energy source. If the heterotroph uses chemical energy, it is a chemoheterotroph (e.g., humans and mushrooms). If it uses light for energy, then it is a photoheterotroph (e.g., green non-sulfur bacteria). Heterotrophs represent one of the two mechanisms of nutrition (trophic levels), the other being autotrophs (auto = self, troph = nutrition). Autotrophs use energy from sunlight (photoautotrophs) or oxidation of inorganic compounds (lithoautotrophs) to convert inorganic carbon dioxide to organic carbon compounds and energy to sustain their life. Comparing the two in basic terms, heterotrophs (such as animals) eat either autotrophs (such as plants) or other heterotrophs, or both. Detritivores are heterotrophs which obtain nutrients by consuming detritus (decomposing plant and animal parts as well as feces). Saprotrophs (also called lysotrophs) are chemoheterotrophs that use extracellular digestion in processing decayed organic matter. The process is most often facilitated through the active transport of such materials through endocytosis within the internal mycelium and its constituent hyphae.

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1. heterotrophic

   Heterotrophic refers to an organism that cannot manufacture its own food and instead obtains its food and energy by taking in organic substances, usually plant or animal matter. These substances can be in the form of direct ingestion, absorption or decomposition. Examples include animals, most fungi, and some bacteria. This characteristic is contrasted with autotrophs, like plants and algae, which can directly use energy from sunlight or inorganic compounds to produce nutrients through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.

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How to pronounce heterotrophic?

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Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of heterotrophic in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of heterotrophic in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

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References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=heterotrophic
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Heterotrophic
3. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterotrophic
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com