autotroph

American  

[aw-tuh-trof, -trohf] / ˈɔ təˌtrɒf, -ˌtroʊf /

noun

Biology.

1. any organism capable of self-nourishment by using inorganic materials as a source of nutrients and using photosynthesis or chemosynthesis as a source of energy, as most plants and certain bacteria and protists.

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autotroph Scientific  

/ ô′tə-trŏf′ /

1. An organism that manufactures its own food from inorganic substances, such as carbon dioxide and ammonia. Most autotrophs, such as green plants, certain algae, and photosynthetic bacteria, use light for energy. Some autotrophs, such as chemosynthetic bacteria, obtain their energy from inorganic compounds such as hydrogen sulfide by combining them with oxygen.

2. Compare heterotroph

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Other Word Forms

• autotrophic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of autotroph

1935–40; back formation from autotrophic; see auto- ¹, trophic

Compare meaning

How does autotroph compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• autotroph vs. heterotroph

Explanation

An autotroph is a plant that can make its own food. Autotroph is a biological term that breaks down to mean "self-" (auto-) "nourishing" (troph). Autotrophic organisms synthesize their own food from simple organic substances. If you were an autotroph, you wouldn’t need to eat and you’d still have plenty of energy. But if that were the case, you’d also probably be a glob of algae.

Example Sentences

Chemolitoautotroph, as it must rely on chemical sources of energy living in a lightless environment and an autotroph if it uses organic compounds other than carbon dioxide for its carbon source.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

So, Ron Milo, a synthetic biologist at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, and his colleagues decided to see whether they could transform E. coli into an autotroph.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 27, 2019

An autotroph is an organism that can produce its own food.

From Textbooks • Sep. 6, 2018

More specifically, plants are photoautotrophs, a type of autotroph that uses sunlight and carbon from carbon dioxide to synthesize chemical energy in the form of carbohydrates.

From Textbooks • Sep. 6, 2018

Plants are also photoautotrophs, a type of autotroph that uses sunlight and carbon from carbon dioxide to synthesize chemical energy in the form of carbohydrates.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013