Autotrophs

Autotroph Click on image for full size (122K jpeg) Image courtesy of Corel Photography Organisms that are able to make their own food (in the form of sugars) by using the energy of the Sun are called autotrophs, meaning "self-feeders". An example of such a being is shown in this picture. This green slime, also known as algae, may have been among the earliest life on Earth. Algae self-feeds by way of photosynthesis and only indirectly contributes to the weathering of the rock on which it resides. Over millions of years of growth and change, this lineage of photosynthetic bacteria eventually gave rise to modern day plants. The appearance of organisms capable of performing photosynthesis was very significant -- if it weren't for the photosynthetic activity of these early bacteria, Earth's atmosphere would still be without oxygen and the appearance of oxygen-dependent animals, including humans, would never have occurred!

Last modified December 17, 1998 by the Windows Team

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