An organism that uses inorganic carbon dioxide to make organic carbon compounds. The prefix auto- ("self") refers to the organism being its own source of carbon. Examples include plants an cyanobacteria.

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Organisms can be classified by the carbon sources they use for metabolism. Some such examples include:

- Autotrophs
- Heterotrophs

Organism Classification by Carbon Source

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Autotroph

An organism that relies on complex organic carbon compounds for nutrients. The prefix hetero- ("other") refers to the organism relying on other organisms for carbon. Examples include humans and prokaryotes like E. coli.

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