Difference Between Heterotroph And Autotroph

Autotrophs are organisms that can produce their own nutrient from the substances available in their surroundings using calorie-free (photosynthesis) or chemical energy (chemosynthesis). Heterotrophs cannot synthesize their own food and rely on other organisms — both plants and animals — for nutrition. Technically, the definition is that autotrophs obtain carbon from inorganic sources similar carbon dioxide (CO2) while heterotrophs get their reduced carbon from other organisms. Autotrophs are ordinarily plants; they are too called "self feeders" or "primary producers".

Comparing chart

Autotroph versus Heterotroph comparing chart
	Autotroph	Heterotroph
Produce own food	Aye	No
Nutrient concatenation level	Primary	Secondary and tertiary
Types	Photoautotroph, Chemoautotroph	Photoheterotroph, Chemoheterotroph
Examples	Plants, algae, and some bacteria	Herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores
Definition	An organism that is able to form nutritional organic substances from simple inorganic substances such as carbon dioxide.	Heterotrophs cannot produce organic compounds from inorganic sources and therefore rely on consuming other organisms in the food concatenation.
What or How they swallow ?	Produce their own food for energy.	They swallow other organisms to get proteins and energy.

Monotropastrum humile, a myco-heterotroph dependent on fungi throughout its lifetime

Energy Production

Autotrophs produce their own free energy by one of the following two methods:

Photosynthesis - Photoautotrophs use free energy from sun to catechumen water from the soil and carbon dioxide from the air into glucose. Glucose provides free energy to plants and is used to make cellulose which is used to build cell walls. E.g. Plants, algae, phytoplankton and some leaner. Carnivorous plants like bullpen plant utilize photosynthesis for energy production merely depend on other organisms for other nutrients like nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous. Hence, these plants are basically autotrophs.

Chemosynthesis - Chemoautotrophs use free energy from chemical reactions to brand food. The chemical reactions are unremarkably between hydrogen sulfide/methane with oxygen. Carbon dioxide is the main source of carbon for Chemoautotrophs. E.g. Bacteria institute inside agile volcano, hydrothermal vents in ocean flooring, hot water springs.

Heterotrophs survive by feeding on organic affair produced by or available in other organisms. There are two types of heterotrophs:

Photoheterotroph – These heterotrophs use light for energy only cannot use carbon dioxide as their carbon source. They get their carbon from compounds such as carbohydrates, fatty acids and alcohol. E.g. purple non-sulfur bacteria, green-non sulfur bacteria and heliobacteria.

Chemoheterotroph – Heterotrophs that get their energy past oxidation of preformed organic compounds, i.due east. by eating other organisms either dead or alive. E.g. animals, fungi, bacteria and well-nigh all pathogens.


Type of organism	Energy source	Carbon source
Photoautotroph	Light	Carbon dioxide
Chemoautotroph	Chemicals	Carbon dioxide
Photoheterotroph	Light	Carbon from other organisms
Chemoheterotroph	Other organisms	Other organisms

A flowchart explaining the various types of trophs

Food Chain

Autotrophs practice not depend on other organism for their food. They are the chief producer and are placed beginning in the food chain. Heterotrophs that depend on autotrophs and other heterotrophs for their free energy level are placed next on the food chain.

Herbivores that feed on autotrophs are placed in the second trophic level. Carnivores that eat meat and omnivores that eat all types of organisms are placed next in the trophic level.