Question

Differentiate between an autotroph and a heterotroph. Give one example of each organism.

Answer 1

Autotrophs	Heterotrophs
The organisms that can prepare their own food with the help of simple molecules in the surroundings and an energy source (sunlight in case of photosynthesis) are known as autotrophs.	The organisms that depend upon other organisms to fulfil their energy requirements are known as heterotrophs.
They include all green plants, some bacteria that are capable of performing photosynthesis and other organisms such as some bacteria that can synthesise their food from simpler chemicals such as sulphur dioxide, without using sunlight.	They include fungi and other non-green plants like parasites and saprophytes. They draw their nourishment from living hosts or from dead and decaying organisms.