In nature, there are many so-called food chains. Some animals feed on plants. Others are the flesh of organisms consuming plant foods. And those, in turn, can be eaten by a person. But to all living things the time ever comes, nature is so arranged.
Law of Nature Renewal
In fact, imagine if organisms exist forever? Overpopulation would have long occurred in the world, leading to a lack of stable nutrition, as well as global pollution. Therefore, according to the laws that exist in the biosphere, all living organisms are born, grow up, leave offspring after themselves, grow old and die. And the biosphere is thus updated every second!
Realms of nature: plants, animals, fungi, bacteria
All of them are involved in this intelligent and balanced cycle of substances. And when any organism ceases its activity, there comes an hour of decomposition of matter into components. And here bacteria and fungi come to the aid of nature itself. Why are fungi and bacteria called destroyers? This concept can be directly related to their activities.
Saprophytes
So in a scientific way are those organisms that carry out their nutrition at the expense of the remains of other animals and plants. Mostly these include bacteria and fungi. They decompose dead flesh into "sources" - inorganic simple compounds, trace elements, allowing nature to build new organisms out of them or use them to power existing ones. This is why fungi and bacteria are called destroyers. But their decomposing activities bring more benefit than harm.
A world without saprophytes
Imagine what would happen if bacteria and fungi did not process dead cells? Life itself would probably suffocate under the hourly increasing layer of dead remains. And saprophytes, carrying out nutrition, as if “utilize” dead tissue, act as orderlies or janitors, helping to remove unnecessary, recycle waste. This is why fungi and bacteria are called destroyers that utilize the remains of dead organisms. The positive effect of this global biological process on the environment has been scientifically proven.
Entertaining biology: bacteria, fungi, plants - saprophytes
The concept itself has Greek roots and comes from the two words “rotten” and “plant”. What organisms can be attributed to this group?
- First of all, these are many bacteria. They decompose organic matter, cause rotting food products, are involved in the mineralization and fixation of nitrogen. And some bacteria even break down cellulose and form hydrocarbons. Some microorganisms are particularly demanding on the substrate: they use only certain types of organics (for example, dairy products) as food. Others are almost omnivorous and can feed on various organic compounds: alcohols, proteins, carbohydrates and acids.
- This group includes many large mushrooms. After all, straw and humus, fallen leaves, manure, feathers, fallen horns and much more serve them as a substrate with nutrients. Summer mushroom , as a rule, lives on the remains of foliage and trees, and false mushrooms choose conifers. Coprinus white develops in places rich in nitrogen. And microscopic saprophytes mushrooms spoil human food, making it unsuitable. Many fungi enter into symbiosis with higher plants, processing their waste into trace elements that plants from the soil can feed on. This process is mutually beneficial and is sometimes reflected in the names of the mushrooms themselves: boletus, boletus. A group of predator fungi that feed on small insects can conditionally also be classified as saprophytes. Because when there is no live prey, they can feed on dead organics.
- There are saprophytes among representatives of the fauna. These include: sundew, mistletoe, dodder, for example.
Now you know why fungi and bacteria are called destroyers (rather, they mean their positive role in nature). All saprophytes and saprophages are “responsible” for the circulation of substances in the biosphere and the disposal of dead organisms, without which, probably, the planet would cease to exist.