Question

What are saprophytes?

Answer 1

Hint: Saprophyte is derived from two words, sapro- rotten, phyton-plants. Saprophytes secrete digestive juices and convert it into a solution.

Complete answer:
Nutrition can be of different types- autotrophic and heterotrophic nutrition. Autotrophic nutrition is seen in plants which make their food. Heterotrophic nutrition can be of different types based on the different needs and organs present for digestion.

The organisms which feed on dead and decaying matter are called saprophytes. This kind of nutrition is saprotrophic nutrition. Saprophytes are a type of heterotrophs.

Examples: Indian Pipe (found in Asia and North America), Coral roots (found throughout the world), Mushroom (grows in the rainy season), etc.

Additional information:
There are a few characteristics of saprophytes:
- They are heterotrophic plants.
- They have no stem, roots or leaves.
- They have no chlorophyll and thus cannot make their own food.
- They can be both unicellular or multicellular.
- They are filamentous.
- They reproduce by sexual or asexual spore formation or simply by division.
- They have to necessarily depend on dead and decaying matter.
- The digestive juices secreted by them convert the dead and decaying matter into simpler form.
- This leads to breakdown of organic matter.
- They play an important role in soil biology.
- They require water and oxygen for good growth.
- They prefer growing in acidic or neutral soils. They cannot grow in alkaline conditions.
- Since they break down the dead and decaying matter, they play an important role in a healthy ecosystem. They help in maintaining ecological balance.

Note: Saprophytes include plants, fungus and microorganisms. Fungi are not plants. They form a different kingdom altogether, bacteria are another example of saprophytes. These organisms have other important roles to play apart from ecological balance.