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heterotrophic nutrition

A Dictionary of Biology | 2004 | 378 words | Copyright

heterotrophic nutrition A type of nutrition in which energy is derived from the intake and digestion of organic substances, normally plant or animal tissues. The breakdown products of digestion are used to synthesize the organic materials required by the organism. All animals obtain their food this way: they are heterotrophs. See also ingestion. Compare autotrophic nutrition.

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