Autotrophs differ from heterotrophs in that only autotrophs

Synthesize nutrients using carbon dioxide and water.

Explanation:

The autotrophs are organisms that produce their own food through form the substance available in their surroundings using light or the chemical energy. The heterotrophs who can synthesize their own food and rely on the other organisms for nutrition. They are responsible for the flow of the carbon and the water nutrients and in a close synthesis of the matter flow in the energy cycle.