Photoautotrophs - Definition, Glossary, Details - Oilgae
Photoautotroph are organisms that carry out photosynthesis. Using energy from sunlight, carbon dioxide and water are converted into organic materials to be used in cellular functions such as biosynthesis and respiration. In an ecological context, they provide nutrition for all other forms of life (besides other autotrophs such as chemotrophs). In terrestrial environments plants are the predominant variety, while aquatic environments include a range of phototrophic organisms such as algae (e.g. kelp), protists (such as euglena) and bacteria (such as cyanobacteria) - Source
An autotroph is an organism able to make its own food.
Photoautotrophs must balance their excitation capture with metabolic energy consumption in the face of fluctuations in light, UV, temperature, and nutrients over a range of time scales. The organisms need short-term responses to tolerate fluctuations, but also require strategies to integrate environmental signals over time in order to regulate synthesis of the abundant protein complexes for light capture, electron transport and biosynthesis. Source
