Definition of "autotroph" []

• An organism capable of synthesizing its own food from inorganic substances, using light or chemical energy. Green plants, algae, and certain bacteria are autotrophs. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "M. jannaschii is an autotroph, meaning that it generates all its energy from inorganic substances."
• "Thus, the species is an autotroph, meaning that it can obtain its own food from the conversion of light or chemical energy."
• "Do you know a lot about how to identify if an animal is an "autotroph" or an "heterotroph"?"