Saprophytes are ... Mushrooms-saprophytes

The living world is rich and diverse. As you know, it is divided into four kingdoms: Bacteria, Plants, Animals and Mushrooms. Between these groups are just huge chasms. But there is something in common between them, for example, in every kingdom there are saprophytes and parasites. Let's look at all this in more detail.

Separation of living beings by type of food

Every living organism needs to receive certain substances or energy from outside to ensure its existence. The process of consuming these resources is called food.

By way of nutrition, all living organisms are divided into two types:

• Autotrophs;
• Heterotrophs.

Autotrophs are organisms capable of independently producing organic substances necessary for them from inorganic substances. These include most plants that derive their own food from carbon dioxide and water by the energy of the sun.

Heterotrophs are creatures that need ready organic substances. This is a huge group of living organisms, within which a lot of classifications are provided. Heterotrophs are divided into biotrophs and saprotrophs. The former feed on living organisms: animals or plants. They also include parasites that have adapted to such a life, when their master is both food and home for them.

Saprotrophs also procure food from dead creatures or their excreta (including excrement). This group includes bacteria, plants, fungi (saprophytes) and even animals (saprophagous). They, in turn, are also divided into different subgroups: detritophages (feeding on detritus), necrophages (consume animal dead bodies), coprophagous (feed on feces), and others.

Definition

The word itself is borrowed from another language, more precisely, it is combined from two Greek words: sapros - "rotten" and phyton - "plant". In biology, saprophytes are fungi, plants and bacteria that consume the dead tissues of animals and plants as food, as well as those products that are released by those in the process of vital activity. They are distributed everywhere - in water, earth, air, and also in the organisms of living beings.

Most often, saprophytes are individuals that do not harm their host. A person does not even guess what a huge number of different microorganisms are constantly on his skin and inside the body, without causing any diseases. However, under the influence of negative factors (reduced immunity, an excessive increase in the number of microbes), everything can change, and saprophytes can cause an infectious disease.

Living world

Saprophytes occupy an important place in the cycle of substances in nature, splitting complex organic substances to simple ones, destroying the world from the rotting remains of animals. Who is this group of workers? Saprophytes are quite widespread in the world. Examples of them can be found in every kingdom. They are found in numerous among bacteria (unicellular protozoa), among fungi (from mold to mushrooms consumed by humans for food), among plants (from algae to flowering plants such as orchids).

Among the animals there are also saprophytes (examples of which we will also mention). However, then it will be more correct to call them saprotrophs or saprophages. In the animal world, some insects (beetles, dodgers, larvae of flies and other insects), earthworms, many crustaceans (river crayfish, bottom amphipods) belong to the saprophytes. Among the large representatives of the animal world are birds (crows, vultures, vultures), some fish and various animals (hyenas, bears and all who have to eat carrion).

Bacteria-saprophytes

Bacteria are so small that they can be considered only in the strongest microscopes, increasing hundreds of times. And although in normal life a person is not allowed to see them, they have to face the results of their activities on a daily basis. So, thanks to them, the existence of fermented milk products and wine is possible. And while some bacteria cause infectious diseases, others of them are of great benefit to humans.

Among them are, for example, some intestinal rods and bifidobacteria that live in the human digestive tract. They help the body to digest useful substances and fight the pathogenic flora.

Saprophytic plants

Although plants are related to autotrophs (that is, they themselves create food for themselves by the use of sunlight), this does not prevent many of them from being at the same time somewhat saprophytes. For existence, they need additional organic substances from the soil.

Among the plants, saprophytes are pineapples, orchids, begonias and some cactus, as well as many mosses, ferns and algae.

Mushrooms-saprophytes

Mushrooms are the most ancient inhabitants of the Earth, their history is at least one billion years old. They are so unusual that for a long time biologists could not decide on their classification and did not know to which kingdom they belonged. Indeed, the fungi have signs characteristic of both animals and plants. As a result, they were separated into a separate kingdom.

Fungi are single or multicellular living organisms, heterotrophs, whose cells have a nucleus (eukaryotes). All fungi are fed by suction of finished organic substances from the environment, previously secreting special dissolving enzymes, that is, digestion takes place outside the body.

According to the method of nutrition, the fungi are divided into three broad groups: parasites, saprophytes and symbionts. This division is inherent in other kingdoms. Parasites have mastered life on other living organisms (or even inside), wholly feeding on them. Among the edible mushrooms, the parasite is a well-known spit.

Mushrooms-symbionts, although they live at the expense of other organisms, but at the same time bring them benefits, highlighting the necessary minerals and processing waste. Among them there is a white fungus, a boletus, a buttercup, a redhead, a podberezovik, a moss and many others.

Mushrooms that feed on organic substances, left from dead animals and plants or their secretions, are called saprophytes. Examples of such fungi, which we are familiar with: morels, lines, mushrooms, raincoats. Also in this category is the huge amount of molds that affect food.

In order to provide as much as possible the necessary nutrition, all these mushrooms have a corresponding structure - long and powerful mycelium, completely immersed in an edible substrate for them.

Pliers-saprophytes

These small organisms are our permanent neighbors living in domestic dust. In large quantities, they are right in our bed - in pillows, mattresses and blankets. In themselves, they are unable to harm, because they do not bite a person and are not carriers of any infections. However, the products of their vital activity can be dangerous for people who are allergic.

Saprophytes and parasites are able to completely restore their population in a short period of time, so do not chase the ways that promise complete disposal. At observance of elementary hygienic procedures (washing of linen, timely replacement of mattresses and pillows, wet cleaning of a premise) it is possible to support a quantity of harmful mites-saprophytes on rather safe to health level.

Conclusion

As we have learned, saprophytes are organisms that support their existence through the use of dead organic matter. Most of them are harmless, many are useful and only some are dangerous. Whatever it was, their existence in nature is simply necessary, it is they that provide a cycle of substances and energy, without which life would stop.