Saprophytes: What are and examples

From the Greek sapros (rotrefacto) and Fyton (plant), the saprophyte concept represents the set of organisms whose food is based on decomposition plant substances. In this way, the saprophytes organisms are distinguished by following a type of heterotroph nutrition based on substances from Dead Decompositionmainly from the mineralization of plant remains, such as dry leaves, fruits and wood, among others. Among the saprophytes organisms are numerous species of fungi, bacteria and protozoa, all belonging to the protist kingdom.

However, it should be noted that this group includes only and exclusively external digestion organisms, that is, those unicellular and multicellular organisms that obtain the necessary nutrients for their food by absorbing organic substances. This absorption can be performed by osmosis (osmotrophic organisms) or through phagocytosis (saprophagous organisms). It is important not to confuse saprophytes with other organisms that feed on dead matter decomposing by internal digestion, such as scavenging animals, since they ingest such matter and digest it later inside.

On the other hand, it is interesting to highlight how saprophytes organisms behave as parasitic organisms on numerous occasions. Depending on this transformation of eating behavior, it is possible to distinguish the following classification of saprophytes:

• True saprophytes: They always feed on decomposition substances without damaging other organisms.
• Optional parasites: Saprophite organisms that, when they have an adequate host organism, tend to behave as parasites. This is the case of numerous bacteria and fungi that cause disease and rot in plants.
• Optional saprophytes: Parasite organisms capable of growing saprophyte although they fail to be good competitors against true saprophytes present in the same organism or portion of the soil in which they are found. This case includes most fungi and bacteria that feed on leaf and vascular remains of plants.

Thanks to the decomposing action of saprophytes, organic matter is recycled, forming the natural humus of soils. Therefore, it is common to find saprophytes organisms in ecosystems that have the moisture and amount of organic decomposition matter necessary so that they can feed.

These ecosystems are included rich soils in organic matterconiferous forests and deciduous trees in which it is common to find decomposition and plant remains. Thus, according to the nature of the substance in which saprophytes are found it is possible to classify them as:

• Humicultural: They inhabit the humus formed in the high layers of the soil due to the accumulation of decomposing plant remains.
• Lignicultural: The dead wood of the trunks and branches constitute the basis of their diet.
• Terírolas: They feed on soil areas with little vegetation and without hummus, such as slopes and some road edges.
• Folk: The leaves constitute the exclusive diet of these saprophytes, which digest both the nerves and the limbo of the leaves.
• Pyrophiles: Burned land also serve as a food source for saprophytes.
• Corticolas: This group includes those saprophytes that feed exclusively from the crust of deciduous and coniferous trees.

As we saw at the beginning of the article, saprophytes organisms are represented by fungi, bacteria and some protozoaall included in the Protist kingdom. Since of the aforementioned three groups of organisms the fungi are the easiest to find in nature, then we include a list with many of the saprophytes fungi more common:

• Kuehneromyces mutabilis
• Mellea Armillaria
• Pleurotus ostreatus
• Gloeophyllum Sepiarium
• Piptoporus Betulinus
• Marasmius hedera (grows on ivy leaves).
• Marasmius epiphyllus (grows on oak leaves).
• Marasmius Hudsonii (grows on leafs of holly).
  

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