Biology Regents Practice Exam

Which organisms and set of characteristics are correctly paired?

1. Fungi - carry out photosynthesis and heterotrophic nutrition

2. Plants - carry out respiration and autotrophic nutrition

3. Decomposers - carry out photosynthesis and autotrophic nutrition

4. Animals - carry out autotrophic nutrition and heterotrophic nutrition

The correct answer is: Plants - carry out respiration and autotrophic nutrition

Plants are correctly associated with carrying out respiration and autotrophic nutrition. Autotrophic nutrition refers to the ability of organisms to produce their own food, primarily through the process of photosynthesis, in which plants use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to create glucose and oxygen. This is how they obtain energy. Additionally, respiration is a critical process that occurs in all living organisms, including plants, where they break down glucose to release energy, utilizing oxygen and producing carbon dioxide as a byproduct. Thus, the pairing of plants with both respiration and autotrophic nutrition accurately reflects their biological characteristics and processes. The other pairings do not accurately reflect the features of the organisms. Fungi, for example, obtain nutrients through absorption rather than photosynthesis. Decomposers typically break down organic matter but do not perform photosynthesis, and animals are categorized as heterotrophs, relying on consuming other organisms for energy rather than producing their own food through autotrophic means.