

Apply this to your own body what do you need to maintain your body over the course of a day? Considering their usage and importance, a nutrient is any substance needed to maintain homeostasis and metabolic activities necessary for life. Let’s briefly explore the question, what is a nutrient?Ī nutrient can sometimes be difficult to define, since nutrients can be classified differently depending on their usage and importance, their source, and their chemical properties. So it seems logical that animals would develop a system specialized for taking up chemical energy and nutrients: this is the digestive system. In other words, animals are heterotrophic (Greek, héteros: “other” trophé: “nourishment”). However, animals get most of their energy and nutrients from pre-existing sources that are living or were once living. For plants, this seems easy: sit in the sun, and absorb carbon dioxide, water, and a few raw minerals to make the energy-rich, complex, large molecules that are the building blocks of all living things. You also need raw materials for growth and repair. One of the main principles of life is that you need energy to maintain the organised structures of your cells and body.
