Chemotrophs are organisms that obtain energy by oxidation of electron donors. These molecules can be organic (chemoorganotrophs) or inorganic (chemolithotrophs). Evolutionary biologists posit that earliest organisms on Earth were chemoautotrophs like Archae bacteria that produced oxygen as a by-product and later evolved into both aerobic, animal-like organisms and photosyntic, plant-like organisms. Thus, option C is correct.
Therefore, correct answer is option C.