Holozoic nutrition

Holozoic nutrition (Greek: holo-whole ; zoikos-of animals) is a type of heterotrophic nutrition that is characterized by the internalization (ingestion) and internal processing of liquids or solid food particles.Protozoa, such as amoebas, and most of the free living animals, such as humans, exhibit this type of nutrition.

In Holozoic nutrition, energy and organic building blocks are obtained by ingesting and then digesting other organisms or pieces of other organisms, including blood and decaying organic matter. This contrasts with holophytic nutrition, in which energy and organic building blocks are obtained through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis, and with saprozoic nutrition, in which digestive enzymes are released externally and the resulting monomers (small organic molecules) are absorbed directly from the environment.

There are several stages of holozoic nutrition, which often occur in separate compartments within an organism (such as the stomach and intestines):

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