Autotroph vs. Lithotroph

Autotrophnoun

(ecology) Any organism that can synthesize its food from inorganic substances, using heat or light as a source of energy.

Autotrophnoun

an organism which is autotrophic, i. e., an organism (such as most plants and certain microorganisms) which are capable of synthesizing its own food from simple organic substances, requiring only minerals as nutrients for growth, and using carbonate or carbon dioxide as a source of carbon and simple inorganic nitrogen as a nitrogen source; the energy required is derived from photosynthesis or chemosynthesis. Opposed to heterotroph. See also auxotroph.

Autotrophnoun

plant capable of synthesizing its own food from simple organic substances

Autotrophnoun

an organism that is able to form nutritional organic substances from simple inorganic substances such as carbon dioxide.

Autotroph

An autotroph or primary producer is an organism that produces complex organic compounds (such as carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) using carbon from simple substances such as carbon dioxide, generally using energy from light (photosynthesis) or inorganic chemical reactions (chemosynthesis). They convert an abiotic source of energy (e.g.

Lithotrophnoun

(biology) An organism that obtains its energy from inorganic compounds (such as ammonia) via electron transfer.

Lithotroph

Lithotrophs are a diverse group of organisms using an inorganic substrate (usually of mineral origin) to obtain reducing equivalents for use in biosynthesis (e.g., carbon dioxide fixation) or energy conservation (i.e., ATP production) via aerobic or anaerobic respiration. While lithotrophs in the broader sense include photolithotrophs like plants, chemolithotrophs are exclusively microorganisms; no known macrofauna possesses the ability to use inorganic compounds as electron sources.