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Definition

adjective

1. Of or relating to an autotroph, an organism capable of making nutritive organic molecules from inorganic sources via photosynthesis (involving light energy) or chemosynthesis (involving chemical energy).

2. Self-sustaining or self-nourishing organisms (e.g. green plants, algae, and certain bacteria) that have the ability to synthesize their own food from inorganic materials, e.g. carbon dioxide and nitrogen.

Supplement

Related forms: autotroph (noun), autotrophy (noun).
Compare: heterotrophic.
See also: photosynthetic, chemosynthetic.