heterotrophy

/ˌhɛtərəˈtrɑfi/
noun
  1. The condition or mode of nutrition in which an organism obtains energy by consuming other organisms or organic matter rather than producing its own food.
    • In biology class, we learned how heterotrophy drives the flow of energy through ecosystems.
    • Heterotrophy is a fundamental characteristic of all animals and fungi.
    • The shift from autotrophy to heterotrophy allowed early life forms to become more complex.
Antonyms
What does "heterotrophy" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean