autotroph
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See also: Autotroph
English
Etymology
From auto- (from Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-, “self-”)) + -troph (from Ancient Greek τροφή (trophḗ, “nourishment”)).
Pronunciation
Noun
autotroph (plural autotrophs)
- (ecology) Any organism that can synthesize its food from inorganic substances, using heat or light as a source of energy.
- 2013 March, Harold J. Morowitz, “The Smallest Cell”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 2, archived from the original on 4 January 2017, page 83:
- It is likely that the long evolutionary trajectory of Mycoplasma went from a reductive autotroph to oxidative heterotroph to a cell-wall–defective degenerate parasite. This evolutionary trajectory assumes the simplicity to complexity route of biogenesis, a point of view that is not universally accepted.
Synonyms
- producer (biology)
Coordinate terms
Derived terms
Translations
organism that can synthesize its food
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German
Pronunciation
Audio: (file)
Adjective
autotroph (strong nominative masculine singular autotropher, not comparable)
Declension
Positive forms of autotroph (uncomparable)