Microfaunal

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to the tiny animal life that can only be seen under a microscope, such as protozoa and small invertebrates found in soil or water
2. Describing the very small animals, often invisible to the naked eye, that inhabit a particular environment such as sediment or the seabed
3. Concerning minute animal organisms studied in ecology, including single-celled creatures and other microscopic fauna living in a habitat

Etymology: "Microfaunal" is a plain modern compound, built by attaching the prefix "micro-" to "faunal." The prefix comes from Ancient Greek "mīkrós," meaning "small," and entered English as a combining form in its own right, so the word's logic is transparent: it describes animal life too small to see with the naked eye. "Faunal" carries an older and more ornamental history. It descends from Latin "fauna," the name of a rural goddess of fields and fertility, and the adjective ending "-al" was added to make it describe the animal life of a region. Scientists formed "fauna" in this sense much later than the Roman goddess, so the link to her is one of borrowed name rather than continuous meaning. Joining the two parts produced a term used mainly in biology and ecology for minute animals such as protozoa, nematodes and other microscopic invertebrates, especially those living in soil, sediment or water.

Antonyms: macrofaunal