tropho-, troph-, -trophy, -trophs, -trophically, -trophic, -trophous

1. Capable of synthesizing complex organic substances from simple inorganic substrates; including both the chemoautotrophic and the photoautotrophic organisms.
2. A reference to any organism for which environmental carbon dioxide is the only or main source of carbon in the synthesis of organic compounds by photosynthesis.

1. Of or relating to organisms; such as, green plants that can make complex organic nutritive compounds from simple inorganic sources by photosynthesis.
2. Needing only carbon dioxide or carbonates as a source of carbon and a simple inorganic nitrogen compound for metabolic synthesis>
3. Not requiring a specified exogenous factor for normal metabolism.
4. Self-nourishing; the ability of an organism to produce food from inorganic compounds.

A lake in which all or most of the organic matter present is derived from within the lake and not from drainage off the surrounding land.

1. The state of being self-sustaining and being able to produce food from inorganic compounds.
2. Carbon autotrophy, ability to assimilate CO2 from the air.
3. Nitrogen autotrophy, ability to assimilate nitrate or to do nitrogen fixation.
4. Sulfur autotrophy, ability to assimilate sulfate.

1. A microorganism that requires nutrients from its environment in order to exist; for example, a mutant strain of an organism, e.g. a bacterium, that has lost the ability to synthesize a specific nutrient growth factor and must obtain it from its environment to survive.
2. A mutant organism, especially a microorganism, that has a nutritional requirement not shared by the parent organism.
3. A mutant microorganism that requires some nutrient that is not required by the organism (prototroph) from which the mutant was derived.

1. A reference to a microorganism having a biochemical deficiency and requiring supplementary growth factors not needed by the wild type.
2. Requiring one or more specific substances for growth and metabolism that the parental organism was able to synthesize on its own. Used with respect to organisms; such as, strains of bacteria, algae, or fungi, that can no longer synthesize certain growth factors because of mutational changes.

Requiring a specific growth substance beyond the minimum required for normal metabolism and reproduction by the parental or wild-type strain; such as, auxotrophic mutants of bacteria.

A reference to an organism that produces its own food using inorganic materials and chemosynthesis; such as, certain bacteria.

An organism that obtains carbon from organic compunds but obtains energy from the oxidation of inorganic compounds.

Bacteria that utilize the oxidation of inorganic compounds; such as, hydrogen sulfide or ferrous iron as an energy source.

A reference to organisms that obtain energy from oxidation/reduction reactions and use inorganic electron donors.

Any organism that creates its principal energy source by oxidizing organic or inorganic compounds.

Relating to or exhibiting chemotropism; tending to move toward or away from a chemical stimulus.

The bending of a plant or plant organ in response to a chemical stimulus.

A disturbance in the development of the cartilage primordia of the long bones, especially the region of the epiphysial plates, resulting in arrested growth of the long bones and dwarfism in which the extremities are abnormally short, but the head and trunk are essentially normal; autosomal recessive inheritance. Synonym: chondrodysplasia.