Heterotrophic organisms obtain their energy from organic materials that have been built by other organisms. Second-hand energy so to speak, but how does that work
Heterotrophic organisms obtain their energy from organic materials that have been built by other organisms. Second-hand energy so to speak, but how does that work
Eat or be eaten
Heterotrophic organisms basically live off of the death of other organisms. This can be achieved by breaking of bits of organic material and turning it into building blocks, as will happen during rot, but also by directly eating others. Microbes are real jacks-of-all-trades in that respect. Some microbes live on decaying matter, but some will actively hunt to eat other organisms. An interesting example of this last group is the ‘lasso fungus’ or Drechslerella doedycoides. This fungus hunts for nematodes (small worms) by trapping them. But why put in all that effort if you can just live from the energy of the sun like autotrophes do?
Multiple sources
Some organisms are not dependent of this second-hand energy. They don’t need the organic material from other organisms, and instead generate them from scratch. These organisms are the opposite of heterotrophic, which is called autotrophic. But this comes with a disadvantage: they are restricted to a very limited set of possible energy sources such as the sun. In contrast, heterotrophes can rely on multiple sources of energy. This often makes their diet much more diverse, with different sources of organic materials that they can break down to gain energy and build new organic matter.
Curious what a hunting lasso fungus looks like? You can see it in action in Micropia.