Question

Give an example of a plant which is anautotrophbut also usesheterotrophicmode of nutrition .also give the reason why? based on your example.

Answer 1

Insectivorous plants like pitcher plant have both autotrophic and heterotrophic mode of nutrition.
These plants contain chlorophyll; hence are capable of preparing their own food like green plants. But they grow in swamps or bog areas where the soil is deficient in nitrogen minerals. So, just to fulfil their nitrogen requirement, they trap the insects and utilize their proteins. For this reason they are also called partial heterotrophs.