Autotrophic Nutrition in Plants

Autotrophic Nutrition

Definition Autotrophic nutrition is a process in which plants, algae, and some bacteria produce their own food from inorganic substances.

Characteristics

• Plants have the ability to synthesize their own food using light energy from the sun.
• They use carbon dioxide and water as raw materials.
• Oxygen is released as a byproduct of photosynthesis.

Mechanism of Autotrophic Nutrition

1. Photosynthesis: Light energy is absorbed by pigments such as chlorophyll and converted into chemical energy.
2. Carbon Fixation: CO2 is fixed into a 3-carbon molecule called 3-phosphoglycerate (3-PGA) via the Calvin cycle.
3. Reduction: 3-PGA is reduced to form glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (G3P) using energy from ATP and NADPH.
4. Regeneration: G3P is used to regenerate RuBP, the 5-carbon molecule that initiates the Calvin cycle.

Importance of Autotrophic Nutrition

• Autotrophic plants are the primary producers of the ecosystem, providing energy and organic compounds for other living organisms.
• They play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Types of Autotrophic Nutrition

• Photoautotrophs: Plants, algae, and cyanobacteria that use light energy to synthesize food.
• Chemoautotrophs: Bacteria that use chemical energy to synthesize food, often in the absence of light.

Autotrophic Nutrition

• Autotrophic nutrition is the process by which plants, algae, and some bacteria produce their own food from inorganic substances.

Characteristics

• Plants have the ability to synthesize their own food using light energy from the sun.
• They use carbon dioxide and water as raw materials.
• Oxygen is released as a byproduct of photosynthesis.

Mechanism of Autotrophic Nutrition

• Light energy is absorbed by pigments such as chlorophyll and converted into chemical energy through photosynthesis.
• CO2 is fixed into a 3-carbon molecule called 3-phosphoglycerate (3-PGA) via the Calvin cycle.
• 3-PGA is reduced to form glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (G3P) using energy from ATP and NADPH.
• G3P is used to regenerate RuBP, the 5-carbon molecule that initiates the Calvin cycle.

Importance of Autotrophic Nutrition

• Autotrophic plants are the primary producers of the ecosystem, providing energy and organic compounds for other living organisms.
• They play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Types of Autotrophic Nutrition

• Photoautotrophs: Plants, algae, and cyanobacteria that use light energy to synthesize food.
• Chemoautotrophs: Bacteria that use chemical energy to synthesize food, often in the absence of light.

Learn about autotrophic nutrition, the process by which plants and some organisms produce their own food using light energy from the sun.