Term for microscopic animals and organisms that exhibit animal-like qualities
Soybean cyst nematode and egg.
Microfauna (Ancient Greek mikros "small" + Neo-Latin fauna "animal") refers to microscopic animals and organisms that exhibit animal-like qualities, and have body sizes that are usually <0.1mm.[1][2] Microfauna are represented in the animal kingdom (e.g. nematodes, small arthropods) and the protist kingdom (i.e. protozoans). A large amount of microfauna are soil microfauna which includes protists, rotifers, and nematodes. These types of animal-like protists are heterotrophic, largely feeding on bacteria. However, some microfauna can consume other things, making them detritivores, fungivores, or even predators.[3]
^Dettwyler, Katherine A. (2011). Cultural anthropology & human experience : the feast of life. Long Grove, IL. ISBN 9781577666813. OCLC 706024344.
^Fernández-Luqueño, Fabián; Vázquez-Núñez, Edgar; Pérez-Hernandez, Hermes (2023-01-01), La Rosa, Guadalupe De; Peralta-Videa, Jose R. (eds.), "Chapter 4 - Biophysicochemical transformations of ENMs in soil", Physicochemical Interactions of Engineered Nanoparticles and Plants, Nanomaterial-Plant Interactions, vol. 4, Academic Press, pp. 89–114, ISBN 978-0-323-90558-9, retrieved 2024-02-13
^Haynes, Richard John (2014-01-01), Sparks, Donald (ed.), "Chapter Two - Nature of the Belowground Ecosystem and Its Development during Pedogenesis", Advances in Agronomy, vol. 127, Academic Press, pp. 43–109, doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-800131-8.00002-9, retrieved 2024-02-29
Microfauna are microscopic or very small animals (usually including protozoans and very small animals such as rotifers). To qualify as microfauna, an...
environments. While older microfossils have since been described, the Gunflint microfauna is a historic geologic discovery and remains one of the most robust and...
the veins of quartz. Lurking among these miniature "forests" are the microfauna, species of invertebrate, each with its own specific habitat requirements...
Soil ecology is the study of the interactions among soil organisms, and between biotic and abiotic aspects of the soil environment. It is particularly...
The Bahariya Formation (also transcribed as Baharija Formation) is a fossiliferous geologic formation dating back to the early Cenomanian, which outcrops...
cystitis Interstitial fauna, small aquatic invertebrates, larger than microfauna but smaller than macrofauna Interstitial fluid, a solution that bathes...
meiofauna loosely defines a group of organisms by their size—larger than microfauna but smaller than macrofauna—rather than by their taxonomy. This fauna...
The Hartley Mammoth Site is a pre-Clovis archaeological and paleontological site in New Mexico. Preserving the butchered remains of two Columbian mammoths...
reaches up to between 13-22 degrees in winter. The lake's lack of basal microfauna and ferruginous soil provides clear water. The area prior had been previously...
expanded multigene families associated with hydrolysis of bacterial and microfauna polysaccharides and proteins. This genome analysis revealed the dual saprotrophic...
protozoa, fish eggs and various larvae. The pelagic zone contains macro- and microfauna and myriad zooplankton which drift with the currents. Most of the smallest...
highly modified underground leaves to attract, trap and digest minute microfauna, particularly protozoans. Although suggested a century earlier by Charles...
and Cantharellus cibarius. In addition to mycorrhiza, the presence of microfauna in the soil assists the growth of the tree, as it enhances the mobilization...
been convincingly eliminated", noting that "A recent examination of the microfauna from the strata into which the grave was cut suggests that the pollen...
or as "show tanks", with the rock kept largely bare of the algae and microfauna that would normally populate it, in order to appear neat and clean. The...
ciliates and amoeboid protozoa, annelids, round worms, insect larvae, other microfauna. (If annelids are abundant, the filter may be considered a vermifilter...
plants and the detritus-rich sands and sediments of freshwater habitats (microfauna) Aeolosomatids feed on microalgae, microorganisms, and detritus. They...
of death in spores are soil organisms such as bacteria, protists, and microfauna. The genus Scutellospora is not monophyletic. Several species have been...
portions of the Guiana Shield. It is reported to feed on periphyton and microfauna that occur on the surfaces and undersides of rocks in its habitat. The...
Paul B. Pettitt, convincingly eliminated: "A recent examination of the microfauna from the strata into which the grave was cut suggests that the pollen...
death. Studies in 2009 questioned whether the decline in biota (including microfauna) as a result of human intervention might impede human health, hospital...
they have more experience. Good tank mates would include other peaceful, microfauna consuming species such as pipefish and dragonets. Seahorses found in stores...
metal contaminated areas could be a sign of reduced activity by soils microfauna and microflora, indicating a reduced number of individuals or diminished...
and bacteria that are desirable in the aquarium. Some examples of the microfauna commonly found on live rock are crabs, snails, feather dusters, brittle...
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