The term heterotroph arose in microbiology in 1946 as part of a classification of microorganisms based on their type of nutrition. [8] The term is now used in many fields, such as ecology, in …

Heterotroph, in ecology, an organism that consumes other organisms in a food chain. In contrast to autotrophs, heterotrophs are unable to produce organic substances from inorganic ones.

Aug 13, 2025 · A heterotroph is an organism that obtains nutrition by consuming other organisms or organic matter. Unlike plants and other autotrophs, which produce their own food through …

May 25, 2023 · In biology and ecology, a heterotroph is an organism that does not have the ability to chemically produce (i.e. synthesize) its own food from inorganic molecules.

Aug 3, 2023 · The term heterotroph is composed of two words; ‘hetero’ meaning others and ‘troph’ meaning food, indicating that these organisms depend on other organisms for food.

Oct 19, 2023 · A heterotroph is an organism that eats other plants or animals for energy and nutrients. The term stems from the Greek words hetero for “other” and trophe for “nourishment.”

HETEROTROPH definition: an organism requiring organic compounds for its principal source of food. See examples of heterotroph used in a sentence.

Feb 24, 2022 · A heterotroph or consumer eats autotrophs or other heterotrophs. Autotrophs and heterotrophs are the two groups of living organisms as classified by their food source.

heterotroph noun het· ero· troph ˈhe-tə-rə-ˌtrōf -ˌträf : a heterotrophic individual

Nov 14, 2025 · A heterotroph is an organism that obtains energy and carbon by consuming organic substances produced by other organisms. Derived from the Greek words hetero …