photoautotroph

Biology

(noun)

an organism that can synthesize its own food by using light as a source of energy

Related Terms

  • chemoautotroph
  • photosynthesis
  • heterotroph
Microbiology

(noun)

An organism, such as all green plants, that can synthesize its own food from inorganic material using light as a source of energy

Related Terms

  • photosynthesis
  • anoxygenic

Examples of photoautotroph in the following topics:

  • Photoautotrophs and Photoheterotrophs

    • Photoautotrophs and photoheterotrophs are organisms that rely on light as their source of energy to carry out cellular processes.
    • Photoautotrophs are organisms that carry out photosynthesis.
    • Most of the well-recognized phototrophs are autotrophs, also known as photoautotrophs, and can fix carbon.
    • Photoautotrophic organisms are sometimes referred to as holophytic.
  • Growth Terminology

    • Photoautotrophs are a type of autotroph.
    • Photoautotrophs use light (sunlight if they are green plants) as their energy source.
  • Strategies for Acquiring Energy

    • Photosynthetic autotrophs (photoautotrophs) use sunlight as an energy source, whereas chemosynthetic autotrophs (chemoautotrophs) use inorganic molecules as an energy source.
    • Photoautotrophs, such as plants, algae, and photosynthetic bacteria, serve as the energy source for a majority of the world's ecosystems.
    • Photoautotrophs harness the solar energy of the sun by converting it to chemical energy in the form of ATP (and NADP).
    • Distinguish between photoautotrophs and chemoautotrophs and the ways in which they acquire energy
  • The Purpose and Process of Photosynthesis

    • Because they use light to manufacture their own food, they are called photoautotrophs ("self-feeders using light").
    • Photoautotrophs, including (a) plants, (b) algae, and (c) cyanobacteria, synthesize their organic compounds via photosynthesis using sunlight as an energy source.
  • Cell Structure, Metabolism, and Motility

    • Protists that store energy by photosynthesis belong to a group of photoautotrophs and are characterized by the presence of chloroplasts.
    • Some protists function as mixotrophs, obtaining nutrition by photoautotrophic or heterotrophic routes, depending on whether sunlight or organic nutrients are available.
  • Bacteroidetes and Chlorobi

    • The Phylum Chlorobi are characterized by bacteria that are obligately anaerobic photoautotrophic which includes green sulfur bacteria.
  • Main Structures and Summary of Photosynthesis

    • Before learning the details of how photoautotrophs convert light energy into chemical energy, it is important to become familiar with the structures involved.
  • Chloroflexus and Relatives

    • Chloroflexus aurantiacus is thought to grow photoheterotrophically in nature, but it has the capability of fixing inorganic carbon through photoautotrophic growth.
  • Anoxygenic Photosynthetic Bacteria

    • The green sulfur bacteria are a family of obligately anaerobic photoautotrophic bacteria most closely related to the distant Bacteroidetes.
  • Energy and Nutrient Requirements for Prokaryotes

    • Thus, photoautotrophs use energy from sunlight and carbon from carbon dioxide and water, whereas chemoheterotrophs obtain energy and carbon from an organic chemical source.
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