What is the Difference Between Biotrophic and Necrotrophic Fungi?

Biotrophic and necrotrophic fungi are two types of plant pathogenic fungi that differ in their interaction with host plants and the way they obtain nutrients.

Biotrophic fungi:

• Feed only on living plant tissue.
• Require living plants as a source of nutrients.
• Specialized (obligate) pathogens.
• Do not kill host plants rapidly and cause little damage to the host plant.
• Produce haustoria to absorb nutrients.

Necrotrophic fungi:

• Kill host cells to extract nutrients.
• Live off dead tissue.
• Opportunistic or unspecialized (non-obligate) pathogens.
• Rapidly kill plant host cells.
• Do not produce haustoria.

Plants have evolved defense mechanisms to ward off most attacks from fungal pathogens. Biotrophic fungi require their host plants to remain alive so they can draw nutrients from the plants, while necrotrophic fungi produce enzymes and toxins to kill plants and then live off the nutrients from the dead tissue.

Comparative Table: Biotrophic vs Necrotrophic Fungi

Here is a table comparing the differences between biotrophic and necrotrophic fungi:

Biotrophic fungi are highly specialized and require living plants as a source of nutrients, while necrotrophic fungi kill their hosts and live off the dead tissue. Biotrophic fungi have a narrow host range since they are specialized pathogens, whereas necrotrophic fungi are opportunistic or unspecialized pathogens and have a wide host range.