autotrophic

British  

/ ˌɔːtəˈtrɒfɪk, ˈɔːtətrəʊf /

adjective

1. (of organisms such as green plants) capable of manufacturing complex organic nutritive compounds from simple inorganic sources such as carbon dioxide, water, and nitrates, using energy from the sun Compare heterotrophic

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Other Word Forms

• autotroph noun

Explanation

In biology, an autotrophic organism makes its own food. Algae, which creates food by absorbing sunlight, is autotrophic. The vast majority of plants are autotrophic, creating their own food through photosynthesis. Many types of fungi and bacteria are also autotrophic. This class of organisms is extremely important to the food chain — autotrophic organisms are also known as "primary producers," converting light energy into nutrition for animals that are higher up on the food chain. The roots of this word are auto-,"by oneself," and trophic, "pertaining to nutrition."

Example Sentences

"This bacterium is an autotrophic organism, like a plant. It does, however, not need light like a plant, as it draws its energy from phosphite oxidation."

From Science Daily • Nov. 10, 2023

Synthetic biologists have long tried to engineer plants and autotrophic bacteria to produce valuable chemicals and fuels from water and CO2, because it has the potential to be cheaper than other routes.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 27, 2019

That means researchers should be able to insert these changes autotrophic E. coli that eat formate, which is readily made by zapping CO2 in water with electricity.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 27, 2019

Most autotrophic bacteria do this by using photosynthesis, a process that converts light energy into chemical energy that can be utilized by cells.

From Textbooks • Sep. 6, 2018

We will, instead, discuss the organic chemical components of plant tissues and the reactions which they undergo, using the more common type of autotrophic plants as the illustrative material in most cases.

From The Chemistry of Plant Life by Thatcher, Roscoe Wilfred