Autotroph
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Image courtesy of Corel Photography
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Organisms that are able to make their own food (in the form of sugars) by
using the energy of the
Sun are called autotrophs, meaning "self-feeders".
Photosynthesis is the name of the process which autotrophs use to
convert water, carbon dioxide, and solar energy into sugars and oxygen.
Over millions of years of
evolution, this lineage of photosynthetic bacteria eventually gave rise
to modern day plants.
The appearance of organisms capable of performing photosynthesis was of
monumental significance -- if it weren't for the photosynthetic activity of
these early bacteria, Earth's atmosphere would still be without oxygen
and the appearance of oxygen-dependent animals, including humans, would
never have occurred.
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