page_title: Saprophagy
hierarchical_section_title: Saprophagy
caption_attribution_description: English: Mycena interrupta, Myrtle Forest, Collinsvale, Tasmania, Australia. Français&#160;: Carpophore de Mycène (Mycena interrupta). Photo prise dans la forêt de Myrtle, à Collinsvale, en Tasmanie (Australie).
context_page_description: Saprophages are organisms that obtain nutrients by consuming decomposing dead plant or animal biomass. They are distinguished from detritivores in that saprophages are sessile consumers while detritivore are mobile. Typical saprophagic animals include sedentary polychaetes such as amphitrites and other terebellids.
  The eating of wood, whether live or dead, is known as xylophagy. The activity of animals feeding only on dead wood is called sapro-xylophagy and those animals, sapro-xylophagous.
context_section_description: Saprophages are organisms that obtain nutrients by consuming decomposing dead plant or animal biomass. They are distinguished from detritivores in that saprophages are sessile consumers while detritivore are mobile. Typical saprophagic animals include sedentary polychaetes such as amphitrites (Amphitritinae, worms of the family Terebellidae) and other terebellids.
  The eating of wood, whether live or dead, is known as xylophagy. The activity of animals feeding only on dead wood is called sapro-xylophagy and those animals, sapro-xylophagous.
caption: Fungi are the primary decomposers in most environments, illustrated here Mycena interrupta.
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