chemotroph
[ kee-muh-trof, -trawf, -trohf, kem-uh- ]
nounBacteriology, Biology.
any organism that oxidizes inorganic or organic compounds as its principal energy source.
Origin of chemotroph
1Other words from chemotroph
- che·mo·troph·ic [kee-muh-trof-ik, -troh-fik, kem-uh-], /ˌki məˈtrɒf ɪk, -ˈtroʊ fɪk, ˌkɛm ə-/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
Scientific definitions for chemotroph
chemotroph
[ kē′mō-trŏf′ ]
An organism that manufactures its own food through chemosynthesis (the oxidation of inorganic chemical compounds) as opposed to photosynthesis. The sulfur-oxidizing bacteria found at deep-sea hydrothermal vents and nitrifying bacteria in the soil are chemotrophs. Also called chemoautotroph Compare phototroph.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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