Chemotroph

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File:Troph flowchart.svg
Flowchart to determine if a species is autotroph, heterotroph, or a subtype

Chemotrophs are organisms that obtain energy by the oxidation of electron donating molecules in their environments. These molecules can be organic (organotrophs) or inorganic (lithotrophs). The chemotroph designation is in contrast to phototrophs which utilize solar energy. Chemotrophs can be either autotrophic or heterotrophic.

The names of these primary nutritional groups are built from Greek roots. "Chemo" means "chemical" and "troph" means "nourishment". "Auto" means "self" and "hetero" means "other".

See also


cs:Chemotrofie de:Chemotrophie nl:Chemotroof sr:Хемотрофи sh:Hemotrofi sv:Kemoautotrof

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