microphagousadj.
/mʌɪˈkrɒfəɡəs/, U.S. /maɪˈkrɑfəɡəs/ Ecology.
Feeding on tiny particles of organic matter or on microorganisms.
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the world > animals > by eating habits > [adjective] > on relatively large or small pieces
microphagous1920
macrophagous1949
1920 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) B. 209 449 An organism living on an ooze-surface must inevitably be normally microphagous in habits.
1923 J. W. Folsom Entomol. (ed. 3) xiii. 373 According to the nature of their food, most insects may be classified as follows:..microphagous ([feeding] on micro-organisms, as bacteria, yeasts, etc.).
1950 Endeavour 9 184 This acidity..produces a chemotactical swarming of two common species of microphagous ciliates.
1963 R. P. Dales Annelids iii. 76 The evolution of the Polychaeta is thus mirrored by the evolution of feeding methods; a transition in one direction towards burrowing, tube building, sedentary life and microphagous feeding; and in the other to a more active scavenging or predatory existence.
1989 Antenna 13 86/1 Micronecta scutellaris..is a microphagous species, feeding on the bottom sediments.
1995 Jrnl. Ecol. 83 952 The rapid growth of ssp. tomentosoides..suggests that the alga does not remain vulnerable for long to such microphagous grazers.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1920