Autotrophs & Heterotrophs

• Heterotrophs


  Organisms that cannot make their own energy through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis, they find other ways to get energy
• Autotrophs


  Organisms that can make their own energy
• Types of autotrophs


  • Photoautotrophs
  • Chemoautotrophs
• Photoautotrophs


  • Use sunlight to do photosynthesis
  • Make glucose (a type of sugar) as their food/energy
• Photoautotrophs


  • Plants
  • Cyanobacteria
  • Algae (e.g. diatoms)
• Chemoautotrophs


  • Use chemicals (e.g. methane) in a chemical reaction to produce energy
  • Do not use sunlight
• Chemoautotrophs


  • Certain bacteria
• Autotrophs are often called producers since they produce the energy of an ecosystem
• Types of heterotrophs


  • Consumers
  • Decomposers
• Types of Consumers


  Herbivores

  Carnivores

  Omnivores
• Types of Decomposers


  Detritivores

  Saprophytes
• Consumers eat living things or dead organic matter.