Autotrophic or eterotrophic bacteria
Depending on the way they take the two essential resources for their survival, energy and carbon (which they need for synthesising organic substances), bacteria can be classed as autotrophic or heterotrophic. Autotrophic prokaryotes can synthesise organic molecules from inorganic molecules, such as carbon dioxide. The energy needed for the synthesis can be supplied by light or other chemicals. The bacteria that, like plants, use solar energy are called photoautotrophic, while those that take energy from chemical reactions are called chemoautotrophic. Bacteria that need to feed on already synthesised organic molecules, as all animals do, are called heterotrophic. These bacteria can feed on virtually anything.
Special reports
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3 November 2014
Conan the bacterium
Have you ever leafed through the pages of a book of Guinness World Records? You can find records of all…
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2 July 2014
A hoax? No thank you, I prefer to find out myself!
In Italian, bufala: a hoax, also means a female buffalo...
31 August 2013
The Red List of Italian animals
Italy has a rich biodiversity due to its distinctive geographic...
16 June 2021
A turtle’s life
Sea turtles are the oldest living reptiles today. They have been inhabiting the oceans for over 150 million years without…
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29 April 2021
Etruscan shrews, ferocity in miniature
Which is the tiniest micromammal, i.e. the smallest mammal on the planet? Up until almost half a century ago, it…
10 March 2021
International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021
This year has been designated by FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations) as the International Year of…
8 March 2021
8 March. We remember Rosalind Franklin, the great female DNA scientist.
DNA was first isolated by Friedrich Miescher, a Swiss biochemist in 1869. It was a brilliant, but not complicated operation:…
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3 November 2014
Conan the bacterium
Have you ever leafed through the pages of a book of Guinness World Records? You can find records of all…
-
2 July 2014
A hoax? No thank you, I prefer to find out myself!
In Italian, bufala: a hoax, also means a female buffalo...
-
31 August 2013
The Red List of Italian animals
Italy has a rich biodiversity due to its distinctive geographic...
16 June 2021
A turtle’s life
Sea turtles are the oldest living reptiles today. They have been inhabiting the oceans for over 150 million years without…
-
3 November 2014
Conan the bacterium
Have you ever leafed through the pages of a book of Guinness World Records? You can find records of all…
From the Multimedia section
Facts
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Bio-luminescence
Many sea animals, including a lot of fish and molluscs that live in the dark in the ocean depths...
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Bacteria as Sherlock Holmes
A drop of blood, a fragment of skin or a hair found on the scene of a crime can supply…
Down-pouring bacteria
It sounds incredible, but recent researches have found that bacteria can cause some atmospheric phenomena...
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13 May 2011
Bio-luminescence
Many sea animals, including a lot of fish and molluscs that live in the dark in the ocean depths...
-
Bacteria as Sherlock Holmes
A drop of blood, a fragment of skin or a hair found on the scene of a crime can supply…
Down-pouring bacteria
It sounds incredible, but recent researches have found that bacteria can cause some atmospheric phenomena...
-
Bio-luminescence
Many sea animals, including a lot of fish and molluscs that live in the dark in the ocean depths...