Question

Heterotrophs maybe
A. Holozoic
B. Saprophytic
C. Parasitic
D. All of the above

Answer 1

Heterotrophs are organisms, who are unable to synthesize their food from raw materials. They depend on other organisms capable of synthesizing food for their nutritional needs. All the members of kingdom Animalia, fungi, protozoans, and certain bacteria, follow the heterotrophic method of nutrition.

Step by step answer: The holozoic method is a type of heterotrophic mode of nutrition, that involves the ingestion of food materials, which can be either solid or liquid. After the process of ingestion, the food materials get digested, absorbed, and assimilated to utilize the nutrient contents in it. Higher animals and certain protozoans such as Amoeba possess such type of nutrition. When organisms obtain their nutrition by utilizing the organic materials from other dead or decaying organisms, it is known as the saprophytic method of nutrition. Members of kingdom fungi such as mushrooms and moulds have a saprophytic mode of nutrition. When an organism survives in association with another organism, known as the host organism, by utilizing it for deriving nutrition and other essential materials, it is known as parasitism. This kind of association may be harmful to the host organism. Certain plants like Cuscuta and animals like leeches utilize such methods of nutrition.
Since all of the above methods of nutrition, involve depending on another organism for deriving nutrition, all of them are heterotrophic methods.
Hence, the correct answer is option D.

Note: The autotrophic method of nutrition involves the synthesis of food by the organism itself for its nutritional needs. The majority of the members of Kingdom Plantae and certain bacteria possess such kind of nutrition. They utilize certain raw materials and carry out chemical reactions on it to produce the food materials. The method by which plants make their food is known as Photosynthesis.