Nutrition in Bacteria

Bacteria can be autotrophic or heterotrophic.

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Autotrophic: organisms that produce their own food e.g. plants produce their food through photosynthesis.

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Heterotrophic: organisms that cannot make food and must use food made by other organisms, e.g. animals, fungi.

Autotrophic Bacteria

Autotrophic bacteria produce their own food.

Photosynthetic bacteria:

Some bacteria have chlorophyll on their membranes (no chloroplasts).
They use light to produce food.
Example: purple sulphur bacteria.

Chemosynthetic bacteria

These bacteria produce food using energy from chemical reactions.
Example: nitrifying bacteria, which convert ammonia to nitrates during the nitrogen cycle.

Heterotrophic Bacteria

Heterotrophic bacteria cannot make their own food and must obtain it from other sources.

Saprophytes:

These bacteria feed on dead organisms.
Example: bacteria of decay in the soil.

Parasites:

These bacteria live in or on another organism and cause harm.
Example: streptococcus.

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Parasite: an organism that takes food from another living thing, called a host and usually causes harm.

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