. Plants are autotrophic. Can you think of some plants that are partially heterotrophic?
Explanation Nearly all the plants are autotrophic means they trap the sunlight with the help of green leaves. These green leaves have green pigments known as chlorophyll which captures the sunlight and this process is known as photosynthesis and plants that prepare their food by photosynthesis are known as photosynthetic plants . Their are some plants which are not a completely autotrophic or we can say that they are partially heterotrophic. Their mode of nutrition is either heterotrophic or autotrophic depends on the environment and their circumstances . There are also a some animals that are partially heterotrophic such as euglena , they have green chlorophyll pigments like plants so that can prepare their food with the help of sunlight otherwise they also can capture a prey . The type of partially heterotrophic plants are as follows Parasitic Plants:Those type of plant which grow on living organisms and derive their nourishment from the host organisms . These type of plants have special organs to derive their nourishment from the host organisms such as thread like filament , root sucker etc.They may be totally parasitic Plants or partially parasitic Plants. Examples : Totally Parasitic Plants: Cuscuta or Dodder ,Rafflesia. Partially Parasitic Plants : Loranthus , Sandal. Saprophytic plants:Those type of plants which derived their food from dead decaying organic matter. These plants are generally non green . These plants have special organs like hyphae which helps to derive the nutrients from decaying organic matter. Example: Flowering plants like Monotropa entirely lacks chlorophyll pigments. Symbiotic Plants : Some plants are in symbiotic relationship with bacteria such as nitrogen fixing bacteria attached to leguminiousplant's root which fix the nitrogen present in the atmosphere and plants use these nitrogen in many ways . Insectivorous plants or carnivorous plants:As the name described ,these plants capture the insects and derive their food mainly as nitrogen or all the nitrogenous food requirements. These plants have peculiar organs to capture the insects easily near them. Examples : Venus fly trap, California Pitcher Plant , Droseracapensis. Opinion: All the above mentioned plants are heterotrophic or partially heterotrophic. But I think among all of them insectivorous plants are more considerable because it has also a green part which are capable to derive the carbohydrates in presence of sunlight. Final Answer Nearly all the plants have autotrophic mode of nutrition as they prepare their own food dueto presence of green pigment chlorophyll which are present in green leaves and help to trap the sunlight . There are some plants which are partially heterotrophic as they prepare their food according to situation and requirements . These plants may be parasitic , Saprophytic , insectivorous and symbiotic plants . As if sunlight are present and situation are favourable they prepare their own food otherwise they derive their nourishment from host organisms, decaying organic matter , by capturing insects , and by bacteria which are in symbiotic relationship with that plant respectively.
