chemotrophy
/ˈkiːməʊˌtrəʊfi/ /ˈkɛməʊˌtrəʊfi/Biology
noun
Any of various forms of nutrition in microorganisms in which energy is derived from the oxidation of simple organic or inorganic chemical compounds without the involvement of light.
Origin
1940s; earliest use found in Cold Spring Harbor Symposium on Quantitative Biology. From chemo- + -trophy.