Question

Differentiate between parasite and saprophyte.

Answer 1

Hint: Parasite lives on a living organism whereas a saprophyte lives on dead and decaying matter.

Complete Answer:
In this question, we will be dealing with the key differences between a parasite and a saprophyte. Using a table lets list the key differences between them,

Parasite	Saprophyte
It lives on a living source known as the host for its nutritional requirements.	It lives on dead and decaying matter for its nutritional requirements.
It harms the source either by creating an infection or consuming its food.	It does no harm to the source as the source is already dead.
They are eukaryotic organisms.	Some are eukaryotic while some are prokaryotic.
They can lead to the death of the source.	They cannot lead to the death of the source.
They have intracellular mode of digestion	They have extracellular mode of digestion
They do not help in cleaning the environment.	They help in cleaning the environment as they feed on dead and decaying matter.
Examples: Lice, Stomach worms	Examples: Bacteria, Fungi

Note: The other name for saprophytes is decomposers as they help in decomposing of waste and decaying matter.