Food and Nutrition

Animal & Plant Nutrition

Food is the essential thing for both plant and animals to survive. Plants are Autotrophic; they prepare their own food providing some of it to other organisms. Whereas Animals are Heterotrophic, they cannot build their food inside themselves and intake from other plants or animals. One makes its own food and one depends on other for food. Plants require light, water and about 20 elements known as essential elements to meet all their biochemical needs. Some plants cannot produce their own food and must obtain their nutrition from outside sources these are parasitic or saprophytic. Some plants are mutualistic symbionts, epiphytes, or insectivorous. Most animals take their nutrients by the ingesting of other organisms. The molecules necessary function for animals are amino acids, lipid molecules, nucleotides, and simple sugars and the food consumed consists of protein, fat, and complex carbohydrates. Animals convert these macromolecules into the simple micro molecules essential for keeping cellular functions. The conversion of the food consumed to the nutrients involves digestion and absorption. During digestion, food particles break down into smaller components, and later they are absorbed by the body.