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Prototroph vs Autotroph - What's the difference?

prototroph | autotroph |

In biology terms the difference between prototroph and autotroph

is that prototroph is any microorganism that can synthesize its nutrients from inorganic material while autotroph is any organism that can synthesize its food from inorganic substances, using heat or light as a source of energy.

prototroph

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • (biology) Any microorganism that can synthesize its nutrients from inorganic material
  • autotroph

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (biology) Any organism that can synthesize its food from inorganic substances, using heat or light as a source of energy.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-03
  • , author= , title=The Smallest Cell , volume=101, issue=2, page=83 , magazine= citation , passage=It is likely that the long evolutionary trajectory of Mycoplasma went from a reductive autotroph to oxidative heterotroph to a cell-wall–defective degenerate parasite. This evolutionary trajectory assumes the simplicity to complexity route of biogenesis, a point of view that is not universally accepted.}}

    Coordinate terms

    * heterotroph

    Derived terms

    * autotrophic * autotrophically * autotrophy