heterotrophs they are the living beings that are not capable of producing their own food and that is why they need to ingest or absorb preformed organic molecules from other living beings, to obtain energy and synthesis of the biomolecules they need.
The word "heterotroph" comes from the Greek terms hetero = other, different and trophs = nutrition, food. It literally means "that feeds on another".
Animals, protozoa, fungi and most bacteria are heterotrophic beings.
Heterotrophic beings are incapable of producing organic material from inorganic material, unlike beings autotrophs, which do so through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.
Read more about the meaning of autotrophs.
In ecology, heterotrophs constitute the group of consumers (almost always animals) and the decomposers, which are mostly bacteria and fungi that decompose the complex substances of organisms, releasing simple substances that, released into the environment, can be assimilated by the producers (autotrophs).
Heterotrophs feed on plants and other animals, using this food as a source of raw material for your growth and for the maintenance of your body structure, in addition to providing energy for your metabolism.
Also read about eukaryotic cell.
