nutritional type
Quick Summary
Nutrition is the process by which living organisms take in and utilize food to grow, maintain themselves, and reproduce. Food provides the energy necessary for cellular activities, movement, and waste excretion. It also supplies the building blocks for cellular structures and functions.1
Organisms can be classified by their nutritional type. Autotrophs, like green plants and some bacteria, can produce their own food from inorganic compounds. In contrast, heterotrophs, which include animals and fungi, require both inorganic and organic compounds from external sources. Further classifications consider the energy source used, such as light (phototrophic) or chemical compounds (chemotrophic).2
Human nutrition specifically involves transforming food substances into body tissues and providing energy for physical and mental activities. This field is interdisciplinary, incorporating physiology, biochemistry, psychology, and anthropology, and aims to promote optimal health and prevent diseases related to diet.34
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
lifeThe biosphereā¦of lifeās varied modes of nutrition and sources of energy. Bacterial symbionts living in the tissues of some polychaete worms (alvinellids) or pogonophora (such as Riftia pacytila) provide the animals with their total nutritional needs. The submarine ecosystems supported by bacteria thrive along the worldwide rift zones that extend alongā¦
Read Moreā¦of lifeās varied modes of nutrition and sources of energy. Bacterial symbionts living in the tissues of some polychaete worms (alvinellids) or pogonophora (such as Riftia pacytila) provide the animals with their total nutritional needs. The submarine ecosystems supported by bacteria thrive along the worldwide rift zones that extend alongā¦
Read More
lifeModes of nutrition and energy generationChemical bonds that make up the compounds of living organisms have a certain probability of spontaneous breakage. Accordingly, mechanisms exist that repair this damage or replace the broken molecules. Furthermore, the meticulous control that cells exercise over their internal activities requires theā¦
Read MoreChemical bonds that make up the compounds of living organisms have a certain probability of spontaneous breakage. Accordingly, mechanisms exist that repair this damage or replace the broken molecules. Furthermore, the meticulous control that cells exercise over their internal activities requires theā¦
Read More
