Autotrophs and Heterotrophs

Autotrophs (autotrofi – plants, algae, many bacteria) are organisms that can produce their
own food from the substances available in their surroundings using light (photosynthesis) or
chemical energy (chemosynthesis).
Heterotrophs (heterotrofi – animals, fungi (gljive) and many bacteria) cannot synthesise
(sintetizirati) their own food, and rely on other organisms — both plants and animals — for
nutrition.

A chemical reaction either releases (otpušta) energy (exothermic – egzotermna reakcija) or uses
(upotrebljava) energy (endothermic – endotermna reakcija). Almost all chemical reactions in living
organisms are of the endothermic type, that is why organisms need energy to function well and stay alive.
Energy is the capacity (sposobnost) to do work to make endothermic reactions happen.
All organisms obtain the energy needed for endothermic reactions by oxidizing (oksidacija) (or burning)
substances (tvari) such as sugar RESPIRATION (respiracija/disanje):
(sugar) šećer + kisik (oxygen) voda (water) + ugljični dioksid (carbon dioxide) + ENERGIJA
(energy)
Respiration releases energy and is therefore considered an exothermic reaction.
Where does an organism get sugar from?
All green plants can synthesise organic substances from carbon dioxide and water, because the presence
of chlorophyll (klorofil) allows them to use the energy from the sun for this endothermic process
PHOTOSYNTHESIS (FOTOSINTEZA)
Blue-green algae LACK (nemaju) chlorophyll, so they are NOT photosynthetic, but rather
chemosynthetic (vrše kemosintezu) because they use energy released (upotrebljavaju energiju koja se
otpušta iz) from simple exothermic chemical reactions.
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ANSWERS TO EXERCISE A on p. 27:
1b, 2b, 3a, 4c, 5c, 6a
ANSWERS TO EXERCISE B on p. 27:
1. Respiration, energy, 2. exothermic reaction, 3. The capacity to do work, 4. called endothermic
reactions, 5. produce their own food by using light or chemical reactions, 6. synthesise energy-rich
substances, 7. organisms which depend entirely upon other organisms as their source of organic
substances, 8. energy released from simple chemical reactions