A
heterotroph (;
heteros = "another", "different" and
trophe = "nutrition") is an
organism that cannot
fix carbon and uses
organic carbon for growth. Heterotrophs can be further divided based on how they obtain energy; if the heterotroph uses light for energy, then it is considered a
photoheterotroph, while if the heterotroph uses chemical energy, it is considered a
chemoheterotroph.