What is a heterotroph?

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What is a heterotroph?

The important idea is how microbes get their carbon. Heterotrophs obtain carbon by consuming organic matter produced by other organisms; they rely on preformed organic compounds like sugars, amino acids, and lipids to build their own biomass. They don’t fix carbon dioxide themselves. This is why the description of an organism acquiring carbon by consuming organic matter from other living things is the correct characterization. In contrast, using CO2 or inorganic carbon from carbonates as a carbon source describes autotrophy, and using light to fix carbon describes a photoautotroph. (Note that some organisms can use light for energy and still be heterotrophs, but their carbon source remains organic rather than CO2.)

The important idea is how microbes get their carbon. Heterotrophs obtain carbon by consuming organic matter produced by other organisms; they rely on preformed organic compounds like sugars, amino acids, and lipids to build their own biomass. They don’t fix carbon dioxide themselves. This is why the description of an organism acquiring carbon by consuming organic matter from other living things is the correct characterization. In contrast, using CO2 or inorganic carbon from carbonates as a carbon source describes autotrophy, and using light to fix carbon describes a photoautotroph. (Note that some organisms can use light for energy and still be heterotrophs, but their carbon source remains organic rather than CO2.)

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