Saprophytes secrete enzymes that help break down fallen leaves.
The term saprophytic refers to the type of food that a living organism eats. Sapro means rotten in Greek and phyte means plant, so a saprophyte eats dead organic matter. Some bacteria, many plants, and most fungi are saprophytic. These organisms can convert dead organic matter into forms that are easier for other organisms to metabolize, making them essential for maintaining a healthy environment. They are also called saprobes.
Fungi are an example of saprophytes.
Saprophytes are beneficial to the environment as they break down dead plants and animals. The energy and organic material in dead and decaying organic material can be converted into recycled energy and nutrients. Saprophytes are also part of a larger group of organisms called heterotrophs, which means they must obtain nutrients from the environment. They cannot produce their own nutrients, unlike other organisms that can obtain energy from processes such as photosynthesis.
Some fungi are saprophytic. They feed on dead material and convert it into carbon dioxide, nutrients that help make more fungus and other organic molecules. The excess organic molecules produced by the saprophyte are released into the environment and these substances enrich the soil. Some of these molecules are organic acids, which do not break down easily and can remain in the soil for centuries.
A saprophyte can generally eat substances such as cellulose and lignin from wood, which are indigestible to many organisms. The molecules that the fungi produce are in a form that is easier for other organisms to use. Fungi generally grow as long, thin filaments that stick out because covering more ground allows cells to find more organic matter to eat. Saprophytic fungi are also used in cheese making and some, such as Penicillium notatum, even produce antibiotics. Most saprophytic fungi do not cause disease in humans.
Bacteria also separate into groups depending on where they get their nutrients. A species of saprophytic bacteria plays a role similar to that of a species of fungus in recycling nutrients. Bacteria that live in the stomachs of animals and break down dead organic matter are called symbionts rather than saprophytes.
Certain plants are saprophytic. This includes some species of orchids. Many plants that reproduce by sending out spores are saprophytic during one stage of their life cycles. Some saprophytic plants don’t even look like plants. For example, the monotropoid subfamily may look like fungi, even though they still have flowers.