prototrophy

/proʊˈtɑtrəfi/
noun
  1. The ability of an organism to produce all its own nutrients from simple inorganic substances.
    • Prototrophy allows some microbes to live in nutrient-poor soils.
    • Researchers study prototrophy to develop crops that need fewer fertilizers.
    • The prototrophy of certain bacteria makes them useful for bioremediation.
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