Nutritional Classification of Microorganisms

March 12, 2023 | by Sravani Pathakamuri | Posted in FAQ's

Microorganisms can be classified nutritionally based on their source of carbon and energy.

  1. Carbon Source:
  • Autotrophs: Microorganisms that synthesize their own organic molecules from inorganic carbon sources such as CO2. Examples include photosynthetic bacteria, algae, and plants.
  • Heterotrophs: Microorganisms that obtain organic carbon from other organisms. Examples include fungi, protozoa, and most bacteria.
  1. Energy Source:
  • Chemotrophs: Microorganisms that obtain energy by oxidizing chemical compounds. Examples include many bacteria and fungi.
  • Phototrophs: Microorganisms that obtain energy from sunlight. Examples include photosynthetic bacteria and algae.

Based on these classifications, microorganisms can be further categorized into four groups:

  1. Photoautotrophs: Microorganisms that use sunlight as their energy source and CO2 as their carbon source. Examples include green plants, algae, and some bacteria.
  2. Chemoautotrophs: Microorganisms that use inorganic compounds as their energy source and CO2 as their carbon source. Examples include some bacteria and archaea.
  3. Photoheterotrophs: Microorganisms that use sunlight as their energy source and organic compounds as their carbon source. Examples include some bacteria and archaea.
  4. Chemoheterotrophs: Microorganisms that use organic compounds as their energy and carbon source. Examples include most bacteria, fungi, and protozoa.

It’s important to note that some microorganisms can have mixed nutritional characteristics, such as mixotrophs which use both organic and inorganic sources of carbon and energy

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