The big idea: A mixotroph uses both modes of nutrition: it is autotrophic (photosynthesis) and heterotrophic (feeding on organic matter or other organisms).
The points to remember
- Euglena, a freshwater protist, photosynthesises in the light and takes in food in the dark.
- Many mixotrophs live in oceanic plankton.
- Obligate mixotrophs must use both modes to grow.
- Facultative mixotrophs can survive by either mode alone.
Remember it as: Mixo = mixed: makes food and takes food.
Real example: Ochromonas. Ochromonas, a golden-brown protist of lakes and ponds, photosynthesises with its chloroplasts and also engulfs bacteria, so it is both a producer and a consumer.
Trap: Saying a mixotroph photosynthesises is only half the answer: name both modes, autotrophic and heterotrophic.
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How it is asked: Expect a protist described as using sunlight and other organisms, a reason for calling it a mixotroph, or a food-web diagram where one organism gets energy from the sun and from another organism.
IB-style questionExplain[2 marks]
Explain why Euglena is described as a mixotroph.
Model answer plan
See the answer broken into clear points, with guidance on how each point earns marks.