mixotrophic
- adjective
- /ˌmɪksoʊˈtrɒfɪk/
- Specialized
:
mixotrófico
- In aquatic environments, mixotrophic organisms can adapt by photosynthesizing in daylight and consuming other microorganisms at night.
Examples
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Disequilibria are exemplified by the grazing fluxes on mixotrophic and heterotrophic flagellates, both of which exceed the pool sizes of the prey.
Academic text (1999) -
Mixotrophic bacteria can switch carbon sources.
Academic text (2008) -
Some species of algae are mixotrophic, able to use sunlight and absorb nutrients from other organisms.
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The mixotrophic lifestyle allows certain plants to thrive in nutrient-poor soils by utilizing both sunlight and organic matter.
How Autotrophic
Surface Forms
Morphology
mixotrophic = mixotroph (semi-transparent) = mixo + troph + ic
Formed from the combining form 'mixo-' (mix) plus 'troph' (feeding) with the adjectival suffix '-ic'; the parts signal 'mixed nutrition' but are technical combining forms, so the meaning is partially inferable.
Etymology
Mixotrophic comes from mix ('mixed') and trophic (a root meaning 'to feed' or 'nourish'), so it names a living thing that uses more than one way to get food. So a mixotrophic organism can use sunlight like a plant and also eat or absorb other food, which is why it means getting energy both from photosynthesis and from consuming other organisms.