Autotroph

//ˈɔtəˌtɹoʊf// noun

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Any organism that can synthesize its food from inorganic substances, using heat or light as a source of energy.

    "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."

  2. 2
    plant capable of synthesizing its own food from simple organic substances wordnet

Etymology

From auto- (from Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-, “self-”)) + -troph (from Ancient Greek τροφή (trophḗ, “nourishment”)).

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