How do you differentiate autotrophs from heterotrophs?

Answer 1

Heterotrophs came first because they could live off the minerals in the oceans (Heterotrophs are just organisms that take their source of energy from somewhere else - minerals do count). Autotrophs, however, could not have lived first because the ozone layer was not formed, and taking in the sunlight would have been the same as taking in harmful UV radiation that would have killed the autotrophs. The cyanobacteria (which are heterotrophs) were the ones that first helped create the ozone layer.

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Answer 2

Autotrophs are plants. They are able to make organic substances out of inorganic materials. They use photosynthesis to produce energy, by way of light reactions and the Calvin cycle. The Calvin cycle takes place in the chloroplasts

Heterotrophs are all other forms of life. They make organic materials out of other organic materials. To create energy, heterotrophs need food(more specifically glucose) and run it through cell respiration. This produces energy for the cells. Cell repiration takes place in the mithochondrion.

Both use the energy in basically the same way, to do "work," which can be broken up into three different categories; mechanical, transport, and chemical

Answer 3

Autotrophs make their own food while heterotrophs rely on other organisms to digest for energy.

Answer 4

Because heterotrophs eat other organisms so they probably think that they eat and reproduce and then autotrophs formed

Answer 5

Because earth lacked carbon dioxide

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Answer 6

By Jesus Christ.

Answer 7

They didn’t. Heterotrophs came first feeding off the rich “primordial soup” and autotrophs evolved as that nutrient source began to run low.