What carbon source do heterotrophs use?

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Multiple Choice

What carbon source do heterotrophs use?

Heterotrophs obtain their carbon from organic molecules produced by other organisms. They use preformed organic carbon—things like sugars, amino acids, fatty acids, and nucleotides—as their building blocks for biomass. Because they don’t fix inorganic carbon themselves, CO2 or inorganic carbonates aren’t their primary carbon sources. Methane is a carbon-containing compound, but organisms that use methane as a carbon source typically assimilate carbon via CO2 after oxidizing methane, so methane isn’t the general carbon source for heterotrophs.

Heterotrophs obtain their carbon from organic molecules produced by other organisms. They use preformed organic carbon—things like sugars, amino acids, fatty acids, and nucleotides—as their building blocks for biomass. Because they don’t fix inorganic carbon themselves, CO2 or inorganic carbonates aren’t their primary carbon sources. Methane is a carbon-containing compound, but organisms that use methane as a carbon source typically assimilate carbon via CO2 after oxidizing methane, so methane isn’t the general carbon source for heterotrophs.

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