Hello, I'm Dr. Emily Carter, a biologist specializing in the classification and characteristics of living organisms. It's great to be discussing the fascinating world of kingdoms with you!

You've asked about which kingdom is heterotrophic. To understand this, let's first define what heterotrophic means. Heterotrophic organisms are those that cannot produce their own food. Instead, they obtain their energy and nutrients by consuming other organisms, either living or dead.

Now, let's look at the different kingdoms of life:

* Animalia: Animals are exclusively heterotrophic, meaning they rely on consuming other organisms for sustenance. This includes everything from tiny insects to massive whales. They have complex multicellular structures and are capable of movement, often displaying complex behaviors.

* Plantae: Plants, on the other hand, are autotrophic. They are able to synthesize their own food through photosynthesis, using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. While some plants may trap and consume small insects, their primary energy source is derived from sunlight.

* Fungi: Fungi are a fascinating group! They are heterotrophic and obtain their food by absorbing nutrients from their surroundings. They don't ingest their food like animals do, instead, they release enzymes that break down the surrounding material and absorb the resulting nutrients. You've likely seen examples of fungi like mushrooms, molds, and yeasts.

* Protista: This is a diverse kingdom that includes a wide range of single-celled organisms. While some protists are autotrophic (like algae), many others are heterotrophic. They can be categorized as either phagotrophs, which engulf their food through endocytosis, or osmotrophs, which absorb nutrients directly from their surroundings.

* Monera: This kingdom encompasses bacteria and archaea, single-celled organisms that lack a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles. Some members of Monera are autotrophic, while others are heterotrophic, using a variety of methods to obtain nutrients.

In summary, while there are autotrophic members within some kingdoms, Animalia and Fungi are exclusively heterotrophic. The kingdom Protista contains both autotrophic and heterotrophic members, and Monera also includes both autotrophic and heterotrophic organisms.

It's important to note that these are broad classifications, and there are always exceptions and complexities within each kingdom. But generally speaking, you can confidently say that **animals and fungi are the kingdoms that are primarily or exclusively heterotrophic**.
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2. Eubacteria--Prokaryotic, unicellular, nutrition mainly by absorption (heterotrophic) with some photo- or chemosynthesis (autotrophic) "all single celled organisms with no membrane surrounding the genetic material (Bacteria, Blue-green algae) and circular DNA.read more >>