Editing Primary nutritional groups (section)

== Energy and carbon ==
[[Image:K 1033CR08-9 Yellow fungus on stalk.jpeg|thumb|240px|right|Yellow fungus]]
{| class="wikitable float-right" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|+Classification of organisms based on their metabolism
|-
| rowspan=2 bgcolor="#FFFF00" |Energy source || bgcolor="#FFFF00" | Light || bgcolor="#FFFF00" | photo- || rowspan=2 colspan=2 | &nbsp; || rowspan=6 bgcolor="#7FC31C" | -troph
|-
| bgcolor="#FFFF00" | Molecules || bgcolor="#FFFF00" | chemo-
|-
| rowspan=2 bgcolor="#FFB300" | Electron donor || bgcolor="#FFB300" | [[Organic compounds]] || rowspan=2 |  &nbsp; || bgcolor="#FFB300" | organo- ||  rowspan=2 |  &nbsp;
|-
| bgcolor="#FFB300" | [[Inorganic compounds]] || bgcolor="#FFB300" | litho-
|-
| rowspan=2 bgcolor="#FB805F" | Carbon source || bgcolor="#FB805F" | [[Organic compounds]] || rowspan=2 colspan=2 | &nbsp; || bgcolor="#FB805F" | hetero-
|-
| bgcolor="#FB805F" | [[Carbon dioxide]] || bgcolor="#FB805F" | auto-
|}
A ''chemoorganoheterotrophic'' [[organism]] is one that requires organic [[substrate (biochemistry)|substrates]] to get its [[carbon]] for growth and development, and that obtains its energy from the decomposition of an organic compound. This group of organisms may be further subdivided according to what kind of organic substrate and compound they use. [[Decomposers]] are examples of chemoorganoheterotrophs which obtain carbon and electrons or hydrogen from dead organic matter. [[Herbivores]] and [[carnivores]] are examples of organisms that obtain carbon and electrons or hydrogen from living organic matter.

Chemoorganotrophs are [[organism]]s which use the chemical energy in [[organic compound]]s as their energy source and obtain electrons or hydrogen from the organic compounds, including sugars (i.e. [[glucose]]), fats and proteins.<ref name="kt">{{cite web |url=http://textbookofbacteriology.net/nutgro.html |title=Todar's Online Textbook of Bacteriology |access-date=2014-04-19 |year=2009| first = Kenneth | last = Todar | name-list-style = vanc |work=Nutrition and Growth of Bacteria }}</ref> Chemoheterotrophs also obtain the carbon atoms that they need for cellular function from these organic compounds.

All [[animal]]s are chemoheterotrophs (meaning they oxidize chemical compounds as a source of energy and carbon), as are [[fungus|fungi]], [[protozoa]], and some [[bacteria]]. The important differentiation amongst this group is that chemoorganotrophs oxidize only organic compounds while [[chemolithotroph]]s instead use oxidation of [[inorganic compound]]s as a source of energy.<ref name="dk">{{cite book | vauthors = Kelly DP, Mason J, Wood A | chapter = Energy Metabolism in Chemolithotrophs | date = 1987 | veditors = van Verseveld HW, Duine JA | title = Microbial Growth on C1 Compounds | pages=186–7 | publisher=Springer | doi = 10.1007/978-94-009-3539-6_23 | isbn = 978-94-010-8082-8 }}</ref>