Understanding Autotrophs and Heterotrophs

Autotrophs and heterotrophs are like two sides of the same coin when it comes to energy.

Autotrophs:

• These are your plants and some bacteria.
• They use photosynthesis to change sunlight into energy.
• With sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water, they make food in the form of glucose and give off oxygen.

Think of it like a recipe:

• Combine 6 carbon dioxide and 6 water with sunlight, and you get 1 sugar (glucose) and 6 oxygen!

So, autotrophs make their own food.

Heterotrophs:

• These include animals, including people!
• We can’t do photosynthesis, so we depend on autotrophs. We get our glucose and oxygen by eating plants or other animals.

When we eat, we use a process called cellular respiration to break down glucose. This gives us energy and releases carbon dioxide and water, like this:

• From 1 sugar (glucose) and 6 oxygen, we get 6 carbon dioxide, 6 water, and energy!

In simple terms, we’re all connected through these amazing processes!