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死物寄生 (shibutsukisei) Japanese meaning: saprophagy | Kotomora

死し物ぶつ寄き生せい

し

ぶ

つ

き

せ

い

Meanings

1

Technical biological term for feeding on dead or decaying organic matter.

死し物ぶつ寄き生せいは、生せい態たい系けいにおける分ぶん解かい者しゃの

重じゅう

要よう

な

役やく

割わり

の

一ひと

つ

で

ある

。

Saprophagy is one of the important roles of decomposers in an ecosystem.

Kanji

死death, die
物thing, object, matter
寄draw near, stop in, bring near
生life, genuine, birth

Related words

腐ふ生せい
腐生 is a broader term for saprophytism or saprotrophic nutrition, often used for plants and fungi, while 死物寄生 specifically emphasizes feeding on dead organic matter.

Built from

死し物ぶつ+寄き生せい

Etymology

Compound of 死物 (dead matter) and 寄生 (parasitism), literally 'parasitism on dead things'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain; it is a technical term likely coined in modern biology.