heterotroph.

An organism that obtains its organic carbon from pre-existing organic matter rather than producing it from inorganic carbon.

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Words that belong together

• heterotrophic organism
• microbial heterotroph

On the page

A heterotroph consumed the compounds released by the colony’s algae.

The microbial heterotroph depended on organic nutrients in the water.

Usage notes

Primary category: sci-fi. Forms: Singular heterotroph; plural heterotrophs. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.