Plants are photoautotrophs that use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to produce their own food through photosynthesis. They also obtain essential nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus from the soil with the help of root structures and symbiotic relationships with bacteria, fungi and other organisms. Certain plants supplement their nutrition by trapping and digesting small animals and insects to access nutrients that are limited in the soil where they grow.

1. What is a photoautotroph? How do plants obtain food? What other nutritional requirements do
plants have? Why (briefly)? How do plants obtain essential nutrients? How do bacteria and fungi
assist plants in obtaining essential nutrients? What is a root nodule and how does it develop?
What are mycorrhizae and what is their role in plant nutrition? What nutrients do carnivorous
plants usually obtain through the digestion of animals that are in short supply in the soil where
they are found?