Tag: Chemoautotrophs

Over 99% of known organisms on Earth rely on the sun's energy, but some remarkable bacteria have developed a different survival strategy. This adaptation is known as the synthetic mode of nutrition, or chemosynthesis, a process where organisms synthesize their own food using chemical energy from inorganic compounds.

The vast biodiversity on Earth is supported by a fundamental process: nutrition, where organisms obtain energy and nutrients. The major modes of nutrition that differentiate between them are classified based on how organisms acquire food, from self-production to consuming others. This critical distinction forms the basis of all food chains and ecosystems.

Over 99% of all known living organisms on Earth rely on the sun for their energy, but a unique and ancient group of microbes operates completely independent of sunlight. A chemoautotroph is an organism that produces its own organic food using energy derived from the oxidation of inorganic chemicals.