Examples of autotroph

• Based on our basic biological assumption regarding autotrophs, we believe there must exist metabolic pathways for generating these metabolites.

• Possessing changes in microorganism type is obvious for multi-species biofilms that have distinctly different microbial types, such as heterotrophs and autotrophs.

• For a particular model population, nullclines connect combinations of grazer and autotroph biomass values where growth of the population is zero.

• The general picture one should take away from this brief review is one of great stoichiometric variability and plasticity at the base of autotroph-driven food webs.

• Thus, in a world with stoichiometric reality, an ecosystem can be maintained indefinitely in a state of high autotroph biomass and no (or low) herbivore abundance.

• However, net fixation is probably substantially lower than gross fixation because in strict autotrophs a certain percentage of photosynthate must be used to meet the metabolic needs of the autotroph.

• Stoichiometric theory provides an alternative or perhaps a complementary mechanism to explain the very long persistence of an autotroph (stromatogenic cyanobacteria)dominated world.

• Trophic mutualism often occurs between an autotroph and a heterotroph.