A very useful term to describe Bacteria that can't synthesize their own food energy is called a Heterotroph. A Heterotroph relies on other organisms for nutrition, whether plant or animals. There are two types of Heterotrophs: Photoheterotroph and Chemoheterotroph. Photoheterotrophs use light for energy,but can't use carbon dioxide as their carbon source. They get their carbon from compounds such as carbohydrates, fatty acids, and alcohol. Chemoheterotrophs get thteir energy by oxidation of preformed organic compounds such as animals, fungi, bacteria and almost all pathogens.
