Heterotroph — Definition & Examples

What Are Heterotrophs?

Like we talked about with autotrophs, the word heterotroph comes from Greek.

Take a look at how each part of the word translates:

So, a heterotroph is an organism that feeds on others. Put less weirdly, these organisms must consume other organisms in order to survive.

For this reason, they are also called consumers. In a food chain or food web, you will see consumers in higher trophic levels than autotrophs, such as plants.

How Do They Get Energy?

Heterotrophs get energy by consuming other organisms.

Don't be fooled into thinking that this means they all have big teeth. All animals fit into this category. This includes things like butterflies, sea anemones, beetles, giraffes, and humans. If it eats, it's a heterotroph.

We break these organisms up into three different groups based on what they eat:

There are ways to help remember these:

• Carne means meat in a bunch of languages. Eating animals = eating meat
• Omni means "all" in Greek. Omnivores eat everything (that is, "all" things).
• Think of cooking with herbs. They are green plants. Herbivores eat plants.

Key Vocabulary:

1. Heterotroph
2. Consumer
3. Metabolize
4. Carnivore
5. Omnivore
6. Herbivore

Types of Heterotrophs

What Is a Heterotroph?

A heterotroph is a living organism that has to consume organic molecules in order to survive. They get these molecules by eating other living things.

What Types Are There?

• Carnivores eat the meat of other animals.

• Herbivores eat plants.

• Omnivores can eat both meat and plants.

• Scavengers eat things left behind by carnivores and herbivores. Scavengers can also be omnivores.

• Decomposers break down dead plant or animal matter into soil.

• Detritivores eat soil and other very small bits of organic matter.

How Organisms Get Energy

In order for an organism to be considered alive, it must be able to obtain materials from the environment and use those materials to produce energy in order to carry out cellular functions.

Autotrophs make their own food. They use energy from the sun to make complex organic compounds. They often use photosynthesis to turn sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen.

Heterotrophs obtain their energy by using other organisms as their food source. They use cellular respiration to turn the food they eat into usable energy.

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(Video) Heterotrophs vs. Autotrophs

by MooMoo Math and Science

Did you know that not all heterotrophs are the same? This video explains how these organisms fit into the energy exchange in an ecosystem. You'll also learn how they get energy and nutrients from what they eat, and what the different types of heterotrophs like to eat.

Autotrophs, on the other hand, produce their own energy from sunlight. They make organic substances that the heterotrophs later eat.

Learn about both autotrophs and heterotrophs with this video by MooMoo Math and Science.