Difference between parasite and saprophyte

Some of the organisms depend on other living organisms for their nourishment while others depend on dead materials. Parasite and Saprophyte are two types of organisms that have two different modes of obtaining nutrition. Saprophytes are plants and parasites can be animals or plants. Some of the differences between Saprophyte and parasite are listed below to better understand this topic.

Definition:

Parasite: It is individuals of one species that live at the expense of individuals from another species called hosts.

Saprophyte: Saprophytes are the organisms that feed on decaying dead organic matter and break it down into simple molecules that can be used by the autotrophs.

Feeding: 

Parasite: The parasite feeds with vital products from the host or part of its body. 

Saprophyte: Saprophyte feeds with decaying dead organic matter.

Absorptions of Nutrients:

Parasites: Parasites absorb nutrients through haustoria.
Saprophytes: Saprophytes absorb nutrients through the cell wall.

Digestion:

Parasites: Parasites use intracellular digestion.
Saprophytes: Saprophytes use extracellular digestion.

Representative: 

Parasite: Parasites are eukaryotes. They can be unicellular or multicellular, plants, animals or fungi.

Saprophyte:  Prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Most of the saprophytes are bacteria and fungi, but there are also saprophytic plants and animals.

Specialization:

Parasite: parasite has special adaptations for this way of life. Most of the parasites are specific to certain host species.

Saprophyte: Saprophytes have special adaptations for this way of life. Most of the saprophytes are not specialized in a certain food source.

Impact:

Parasite: In the majority of the cases the parasites cause harm to the host. In some cases, the parasite can cause the death of the host.
Saprophyte: Saprophytes do not cause harm to living tissues. They are very important for the ecosystems and for the circle of substances in the biosphere.

Conclusions:

Parasites and saprophytes are both of heterotrophs with a different mode of nutrition. Parasites completely depend on a host organism in order to supply its nutrients. Therefore parasites cause diseases in both plants and animals. while the saprophytes depend on the dead or decaying organic matter. Saprophytes play an important role in ecosystems. Parasites are not beneficial since they often haram their host during the feeding processes. Parasites depend on a host for survival. Thus the main difference between parasites and saprophytes is the way they fulfill their nutritional requirements.