How is energy is transferred from the rays of the sun to an organism that is a heterotroph?

Question

How is energy is transferred from the rays of the sun to an organism that is a heterotroph?

Answer 1

Via photosynthesis in the photoautotrophic producers at the base of a food chain/web. Consumers rely on these organisms to convert  the sun's energy to fix CO2 and produce organic molecules to fuel the food chain/web.

Answer 2

Plants capture light energy from the sun to generate ATP and NADPH. With ATP, plants fix CO2 into glucose. Glucose can be broken down to generate ATP as needed, and serve as energy source for synthesizing other biomolecules such as proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, vitamins, etc. Excessive glucose is converted to starch for long term storage. All these biomolecules serve as food for herbivores and omnivores. Herbivores in turn serve as food for carnivores and omnivores.

Answer 3

Through the process of photosynthesis.  Light hits Photosystem II (P 680) causing electrons to be boosted to a higher energy level and pass into an electron transport chain. As a result some of the H+ from the stroma are carried through the thylakoid membrane and released into the space inside. ATP is produced here.

At the end of the chain a low energy electron enters Photosystem I (P- 700). Here it gets energized by more sunlight. This energizes the electrons and moves them into the NADPH electron chain. This chain passes electrons to

NADP+ in the stroma. Each NADP+ accepts 2 electrons and reacts with a H+ in the stroma to form NADPH. The result is to move the electrons out of the thylakoid into the stroma. These electrons are replaced by the splitting of water, that also produces H+ and O2. The H+ stays in the thylakoid and becomes part of the H+ reservoir that will power the chemiosmotic synthesis of ATP.

The ATP and NADPH along with the carbon dioxide will be changed into glucose during the dark reactions of the process.

Answer 4

The autotroph uses the sun energy to make photosynthesis (food for itself) and then the heterotroph feed on the autotroph will then get the energy from it.

Answer 5

Very short answer:

Autotrophs take sunlight, use that energy to make high energy electraon bonds.

Heterotrophs eat those autotrophs, and break apart the high energy bonds, and harness some of that energy to do their own chemistry.