Saprotroph

saprotroph, also called saprophyte or saprobe, organism that feeds on nonliving organic matter known as detritus at a microscopic level. The etymology of the word saprotroph comes from the Greek saprós (“rotten, putrid”) and trophē (“nourishment”). Saprotrophic organisms are considered critical to decomposition and nutrient cycling and include fungi, certain bacteria, and funguslike organisms known as water molds (phylum Oomycota).

Saprotrophs feed by a process known as absorptive nutrition, in which the nutritional substrate (e.g., dead organism or other nonliving organic matter) is directly digested by a variety of enzymes that are excreted by the saprotroph. The enzymes convert the detritus into simpler molecules, which are then absorbed by the cells to feed the organism.