All living things: 

 
- Nutrition = Get nutrients 
- Transport = Distribute the nutrients around their body 
- ‘Burn’ fuel = Respire 
- Throw waste(s) = excrete 
 
Nutrition Modes  
 
Organisms can be divided into 2 nutrition categories: 
- Autotrophs 
Most plants and some fungi are autotrophs. They PRODUCE FOOD by themselves using 
photosynthesis and light energy. 
 
- Heterotrophs 
Hetero means other. Therefore, heterotrophs, such as humans, tigers and fungi rely on other 
organisms for energy. 
 
Heterotrophs can be divided into 3 categories: 
 
HOLOZOIC = Digest internally, have a good digestive system 
Examples = Humans, mice, fish, birds 
 
SAPROTROPHS = Excrete digestive enzymes, then consumes the already digested food. Bad 
digestive system. 
Examples = Fungi, mould etc. 
Saprotrophs are essential as they help decompose dead organisms/organic waste 
 
PARASITES = Stick to the surface or internal of an organism, gets energy and nutrients from 
their host’s diet 
Examples = Leeches, lice etc. 
 
 
 
Photosynthesis is plants: 
 
Photosynthesis is a process by which CHLOROPHYLL, an ENZYME found in the 
CHLOROPLASTS of plant cells, use LIGHT ENERGY FROM THE SUN and WATER from the 
roots, produce GLUCOSE and OXYGEN as a byproduct of the reaction. 
 
Think of it this way: As consumers in the food web, plants produce carbohydrates, energy. 
 
Carbohydrates can be split into 
 
CARBON (CO2) from the ​leaves stomata​ and HYDRATES (Water, meaning H2O) from the 
roots 
This is how the process goes 
 
(under presence of chlorophyll, which acts as an enzyme to catalyze the reaction) 
CO2 + H2O (using light energy) 
 
| 
| 
V 
 
6(CH2O) + O2  
(glucose) (oxygen) 
 
- The oxygen produced comes from the water, not the carbon dioxide. 
- Everything else becomes glucose, which is C6 H12 O6 (balancing equations). Since a lot 
of oxygen is produced, the plant uses the amount they need and releases the rest. 
- Chlorophyll, a pigment turns plants green, therefore, green plants are able to 
photosynthesize. If a plant is not green, other pigments of different colors may be in it, 
it doesn’t mean the plant can’t photosynthesize.