Modes of Nutrition in Animals
Nutrition is the process by which organisms obtain and utilize food for energy, growth, and maintenance. In animals, nutrition is classified into two main types:
1. Autotrophic Nutrition
- Definition: Organisms that can produce their own food using sunlight (photosynthesis) or chemical energy (chemosynthesis) are called autotrophs.
- Example: Plants, algae, and some bacteria.
2. Heterotrophic Nutrition
- Definition: Animals and other organisms that depend on other organisms for food are called heterotrophs.
Types of Heterotrophic Nutrition:
(i) Herbivores
- Animals that eat only plants.
- Example: Cow, Deer, Rabbit.
(ii) Carnivores
- Animals that eat only other animals (meat).
- Example: Lion, Tiger, Eagle.
(iii) Omnivores
- Animals that eat both plants and animals.
- Example: Humans, Bears, Crows.
(iv) Parasitic Nutrition
- Animals that live on or inside another organism (host) and derive nutrients from it.
- Example: Tapeworm, Lice, Leeches.
(v) Saprophytic Nutrition
- Organisms that feed on dead and decaying organic matter.
- Example: Fungi, Some Bacteria.