what is the difference between sprophytic and parasitic?

Answer 1

saprophytic - lives off dead organisms
parasite - lives off living organisms

Answer 2

A saprotroph (or saprobe) is an organism that obtains its nutrients from non-living organic matter, usually dead and decaying plant or animal matter, by absorbing soluble organic compounds. Since saprotrophs cannot make food for themselves, they are considered a type of heterotroph. They include many fungi (the rest being parasitic, commensal or mutualistic symbionts), bacteria, and protozoa. Animal scavengers, such as dung beetles, and vultures and a few unusual non-photosynthetic plants are also sometimes referred to as saprotrophs, but are more commonly called saprophages.


parasitism is one version of symbiosis ("living together"), a phenomenon in which two organisms which are phylogenetically unrelated co-exist over a prolonged period of time, usually the lifetime of one of the individuals. The requirement for a prolonged interaction precludes predatory or episodic interactions (such as a mosquito feeding on a host), which are usually not seen as symbiotic relationships. Symbiosis encompasses commensalism ("eating at the same table", wherein two organisms co-exist in the same space, and one organism benefits while neither harming nor helping the other), through mutualism (wherein both species benefit from the interaction) to parasitism, wherein one organism, usually physically smaller of the two (the parasite) benefits and the other (the host) is harmed. (Various forms of "social parasitism", kleptoparasitism, and "cheating parasitism", as discussed below, are characterized by a less close association between parasite and host, however.) Especially in the field of medical parasitology, the term "parasite" has come to mean a eukaryotic pathogenic organism. Thus, protozoan and metazoan infectious agents are classified as parasites while bacteria and viruses are not. Interestingly, fungi are not discussed in textbooks of medical parasitology, even though they are eukaryotic.

Answer 3

Parasitic organisms are those which live in another organism and depend on it for its nutrition and can sometimes harm and cause diseases. Whereas saprophytic organisms bring about the decomposition of dead and organic matter. Saprophytic organisms may sometimes proove to be essential to the environment for all these. I hope u understood my answer. nAf :-)

Answer 4

I would say that one deals with spores of an organism and the other is a parasite.

Answer 5

SAPROPHYTIC FUNGI:
Mostly feeds on the dead remains of plants or animals and on the waste materials found on living things. This is what helps get rid of organic waste. Without it, it would just pile up.
PARASITIC FUNGI:
Feeds on plants and animals as well except they don't wait for the death of plants or animals to begin feeding on it. This fungi can grow both on / inside animals / humans and can cause problems such as athletes feet and ring worm.