Heterotrophs are organisms that consume other organisms in order to gain nutrients. Compare heterotrophs that eat autotrophs to heterotrophs that eat other heterotrophs in terms of how they obtain nutrients. Explain your answer in one to two sentences.

Answer 1

Heterotrophs that eat autotrophs, known as primary consumers, obtain nutrients by directly consuming plants or other photosynthetic organisms, thereby accessing the energy stored from sunlight. In contrast, heterotrophs that eat other heterotrophs, or secondary and tertiary consumers, obtain nutrients by consuming these primary consumers or other organisms higher in the food chain, thereby accessing energy that has been previously stored and metabolized.