Re: What is a mayfly considered, an autotroph or a heterotrph?

Hi Sarah:

An autotroph is an organism that can synthesize its food from inorganic nutrients (like plants making sugars from carbon dioxide).

A heterotroph is an organism that consumes other organisms for food. Ultimately, that food comes from an autotroph of some sort.

An adult mayfly does not eat, but larval maylies do (see this link to learn about the mayfly life cycle). The adult uses stored energy built up from the larval phase, and that stored energy came from feeding, so a mayfly is a heterotroph.

I hope that helps,
Rob Campbell, MAD Scientist