Question

Where does a photoautotroph get its energy and carbon?

Answer 1

The photo and auto and various other prefixes can get confusing at times.

I remember this graphic was very helpful in helping me remember the differences...
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Troph_flowchart.png

The terms photo and chemo refer to the source of energy.
The terms auto and hetero refer to the source of /carbon/. Big difference - not all organisms fall neatly into your photoautotrophs (plants) and your chemoheterotrophs (animals).

Photo, as the term implies, denotes that the organism gets energy from light.
Auto denotes that the organism is /self/-sufficient; it makes its own complex carbon compounds (given some very basic starting compounds found in the inorganic environment).

Answer 2

Photoautotroph. Photo refer to the energy source while auto refer to the source of carbon therefore for photoautotroph it source of energy is sunlight and its source of carbon is carbon dioxide. The example of it is plant which need sunlight and carbon dioxide in photosynthesis process