Saprophytic Soil Fungus

Role of Beneficial Fungus

• Beneficial fungi like saprophytic fungi assist in numerous functions critical to soil and plant health. They aid in water usage and water transmission by binding soil particles together to create stable soil aggregates. They assist in the efficient use of nutrients by soils and plants, and help soils and plants prevent and suppress disease. They are part of the decomposition cycle, transforming organic material into forms that are usable to other organisms.

Function of Saprophytic Fungus

• Saprophytic fungus transforms dead plant and organic matter into fungal biomass, carbon dioxide and organic acids. They enrich the soil, creating rich, organic humus as they decompose organic matter and assist in the decomposition of pollutants and toxins in the soil.

Where It Grows

• Saprophytic fungus most often grows around decomposing plant and wood residue, including on the forest floor, where there are mass amounts of twigs, leaves and logs. Individual saprophytic fungi, or hyphae, can survive in dry environments due to their ability to fill the voids between moist pockets in the soil and utilize sparse water supplies. These fungi can use up nitrogen from the soil and decompose surface residue.

Importance of Saprophytic Fungi

• Saprophytic fungi are the largest group of fungi. They include common mushrooms and fungi that grow at the base and the sides of trees and outside of forest environments in fields and meadows. They help decompose organic matter, including dead insects, and produce lignin, a byproduct of decomposition that is an important carbon source for many living things.