How do heterotrophs get energy?

Heterotrophs are living organisms that are not capable of producing the organic matter necessary for their life on their own. They get proteins, fats and carbohydrates from the environment. Since these are organic substances, they can only be in the organisms of autotrophs. These are organisms that synthesize organic substances themselves. Plants belong to autotrophs. Heterotrophs eat autotrophs. Many heterotrophs eat other heterotrophs, which in turn eat autotrophs. These chains can be very long.