autotrophy Definition
the ability of an organism to produce its own food using light, water, carbon dioxide, or other chemicals.
Using autotrophy: Examples
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "autotrophy" can be used in various situations through the following examples!
Example
Plants are examples of autotrophic organisms.
Example
Autotrophs are the base of the food chain in most ecosystems.
Example
Photosynthesis is a process of autotrophy.
Phrases with autotrophy
a type of autotrophy in which energy is derived from chemical reactions
Example
Some bacteria use chemoautotrophy to produce their own food.
photoautotrophy
a type of autotrophy in which energy is derived from sunlight
Example
Plants use photoautotrophy to produce their own food through photosynthesis.
mixotrophy
a type of nutrition that involves both autotrophy and heterotrophy
Example
Some algae exhibit mixotrophy, being able to produce their own food and also consume other organisms.
Origins of autotrophy
from Greek 'autos' meaning 'self' and 'trophe' meaning 'nourishment'
Summary: autotrophy in Brief
'Autotrophy' [aw-toh-truh-fee] refers to the ability of an organism to produce its own food using light, water, carbon dioxide, or other chemicals. Examples of autotrophic organisms include plants, which use photoautotrophy to produce their own food through photosynthesis. Other types of autotrophy include chemoautotrophy, in which energy is derived from chemical reactions, and mixotrophy, which involves both autotrophy and heterotrophy.
