If you want to find out whether humans are considered heterotrophs or autotrophs then you’ve come to the right article.
As, in this article, you’ll find the answer to this question, and after you’ve read the answer to the main question then I’ll also cover the answers to a few more closely related questions.
I hope you learn a lot from this article!
Are Humans Heterotrophs Or Autotrophs?
Humans, like all animals, are heterotrophs.
Heterotrophs are organisms that get their energy by consuming other organisms, whereas autotrophs are organisms that produce their food.
There are no autotrophic animals.
Only plants, algae, and certain kinds of fungi are autotrophs.
Plants produce organic energy by converting solar energy and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates.
This process is known as photosynthesis.
Unlike plants, we are not able to convert inorganic nutrients or sunlight into organic energy.
Like all other animals, we rely on photosynthesizers to do so and we either consume them directly (for example, when we eat a salad) or indirectly (when we eat meat).
What are heterotrophs?
Organisms that get their energy from consuming other organisms are called heterotrophs.
The word “heterotroph” is derived from the Greek words hetero, which means “other”, and trophos, which means “feeder”.
Because heterotrophs feed on other organisms, they are also called consumers.
Unlike autotrophs, heterotrophs are unable to convert inorganic nutrients or sunlight into energy.
They thus rely on autotrophs to do so.
All of the organic energy used by heterotrophs is ultimately derived from autotrophs, either directly or indirectly.
When a heterotroph consumes either an autotroph or another heterotroph, a portion of the energy embodied in the organism that they ate is available for them to digest and use.
For example, when a cow eats grass, some of the organic energy (carbohydrates) produced by the grass through photosynthesis is harnessed by the cow’s digestive system and supplies it with nutrients.
Any undigested matter, including a portion of the energy that was in the grass, is expelled when the cow defecates.
When we eat meat or drink milk from a cow, we also digest a portion of the cow’s organic matter, which itself came from the grass.
At each successive level of the food chain, less and less energy is available for use.
For this reason, vegetation has the highest biomass and apex predators have the lowest biomass.
What are autotrophs?
Autotrophs are producers of energy, specifically organic energy.
In Greek, auto means “self”, or “independent”, and trophos means “feeder”.
The word “autotroph” indicates that these types of organisms produce their food rather than consume food in the form of other organisms.
Autotrophs serve as the foundation of the food chain because they convert inorganic substances and sunlight into energy, which allows them to live and grow.
A portion of the energy they produce is then available within their organic matter as usable energy for the heterotrophs that eat them.
For example, when a caterpillar eats the leaves from a tree, it harnesses some of the carbohydrates produced by the tree through photosynthesis.
If a bird comes along and eats the caterpillar it, too, is benefiting from the energy originally synthesized by the tree.
Check out the video below if you want to follow a well-explained video of what autotrophs and heterotrophs are.
What are examples of heterotrophs?
All animals, whether big or small, are heterotrophs.
That is among the characteristics that make an organism or species a member of the animal kingdom.
Animals, according to scientific classification, are heterotrophic living organisms with complex multicellular tissues composed of cells that lack walls.
So, animals ranging from small insects, such as a bedbug, to large mammals, such as an elephant, are all heterotrophs, as are dogs, cats, rabbits, squirrels, cardinals, robins, and many more.
Check out the video below if you want to follow an in-depth explanation of the examples of heterotrophs.
What are examples of autotrophs?
All plants and algae, as well as certain bacteria and fungi, are autotrophs.
So, oak trees, tomato plants, kelp, and dandelions are all examples of autotrophs.
Plants and algae are known as photoautotrophs because they convert solar energy and carbon dioxide into chemical energy specifically, carbohydrates through the process known as photosynthesis.
Are Humans chemoheterotrophs?
A chemoheterotroph is an organism that derives energy from organic substances through a chemical process.
All animals, including humans, as well as most fungi, are chemoheterotrophs since we have to chemically process organic compounds from other sources.
When we eat another organism, for example, a plant, a fungus, or meat from an animal then the acid in our stomachs breaks down the organic matter.
Why are humans heterotrophs?
Human beings are heterotrophs because we must rely on other organisms like, for example, autotrophs to convert inorganic nutrients and solar energy into organic energy that is then usable by our bodies.
This usable energy is available to us when we consume either autotrophs directly or other heterotrophs.
When we digest either plant or animal matter, our digestive system engages in a process known as chemosynthesis which is the process known for gastric juices to be breaking down the organic matter into smaller molecules that our small intestines can then easily absorb.
Why are humans not autotrophs?
Humans are not autotrophs because we are unable to convert inorganic compounds or solar energy into organic energy.
We rely on plants and algae to do so through the process known as photosynthesis.
During photosynthesis, light energy and carbon dioxide are synthesized to produce carbohydrates and oxygen.
Plants and algae are the primary producers of organic energy within the food chain.
When a heterotroph consumes these autotrophs, they absorb some of their nutrients.
And when one heterotroph eats another heterotroph, it is still ultimately deriving energy from the plants or algae that were at the bottom of the food chain.
A heterotroph that directly consumes an autotroph is referred to as a primary consumer, and a consumer that eats other consumers is known as a second, tertiary, or quaternary consumer.
Human beings can be seen as primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary consumers since we eat plants as well as animals.
Much of the meat we consume comes from primary consumers, such as cows, and pigs, and to that extent, we are primarily seen as secondary consumers.
What type of heterotrophs are humans?
Human beings are chemoheterotrophs.
This means that we are heterotrophs that derive energy through a process known as chemosynthesis.
Technically, chemoheterotrophs fall into two categories: chemolithoheterotrophs or chemoorganoheterotrophs.
The first are heterotrophs that can chemo synthesize inorganic energy, whereas the second are heterotrophs that chemosynthesis organic energy.
Human beings are chemoorganoheterotrophs, as are all herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores.