organotroph

Examples of organotroph in the following topics:

• Electron Donors and Acceptors

  • Organisms that use organic molecules as an energy source are called organotrophs.
  • Organotrophs (animals, fungi, protists) and phototrophs (plants and algae) constitute the vast majority of all familiar life forms.
  • Because of their volume of distribution, lithotrophs may actually out number organotrophs and phototrophs in our biosphere.
  • Just as there are a number of different electron donors (organic matter in organotrophs, inorganic matter in lithotrophs), there are a number of different electron acceptors, both organic and inorganic.

• Electron Donors and Acceptors in Anaerobic Respiration

  • Sulfate reduction requires the use of electron donors, such as the carbon compounds lactate and pyruvate (organotrophic reducers), or hydrogen gas (lithotrophic reducers).

• Sulfate and Sulfur Reduction

  • Many sulfate reducers are organotrophic, using carbon compounds, such as lactate and pyruvate (among many others) as electron donors, while others are lithotrophic, and use hydrogen gas (H2) as an electron donor.

• Types of Catabolism

  • Organic molecules are used as a source of energy by organotrophs, while lithotrophs use inorganic substrates and phototrophs capture sunlight as chemical energy.

• Nongenetic Categories for Medicine and Ecology

  • Chemoorganoheterotrophs (or organotrophs) exploit reduced-carbon compounds as energy sources, such as carbohydrates, fats, and proteins from plants and animals.