Microfauna are small organisms visible only under a microscope, found in large numbers in soil worldwide. They include protozoa, mites, springtails, nematodes, rotifers, and tardigrades. Microflora includes algae, bacteria, fungi, and yeasts. Larger animals found in soil are mesofauna and macrofauna. Microfauna are the least known soil life, with many belonging to the “cryptozoa”. They live in tiny pores between soil grains, some are aquatic, and some are sessile. They can be found on the human body and in homes.
Microfauna are small animals and unicellular organisms visible only under a microscope. Usually, they are defined as creatures smaller than 0.1 mm (100 microns), with mesofauna as organisms between 0.1 mm and 2 mm in size, although definitions vary.
In the soil, microfauna is found in large numbers, usually several thousand per gram. Anyone can take some moist soil, put it under a microscope and find these organisms. Some of the most common and important examples are protozoa (unicellular eukaryotes), mites (among the most diverse and successful animals), springtails (related to insects), nematodes (transparent worm-like creatures), rotifers (named for the their ciliated mouthparts) and tardigrades, also known as “water bears”, one of the most resistant organisms in nature. Microfauna can be found all over the world wherever there is moist soil and in other places as well. Springtails have been found in the dry McMurdo Valleys of Antarctica, one of the coldest and driest places on Earth.
The microfauna is accompanied by the microflora, which includes algae, bacteria, fungi and yeasts, capable of digesting practically any organic substance, and some inorganic substances, such as TNT and synthetic rubber.
Larger animals that are also found in soil are called mesofauna, such as earthworms, arthropods, and large nematodes, and macrofauna, which includes burrowing mammals such as moles and rabbits. The microfauna is the least known of the soil life, due to its small size and great diversity. Many are members of the so-called “cryptozoa”, animals that are not described by science. Of the estimated 10-20 million animal species in the world, only 1.8 million have been given scientific names and many of the remaining millions probably belong to this group, many of them in the tropics.
Microfauna live in tiny pores between soil grains and many are aquatic. Some are sessile, meaning they stick to a substrate for life and never move. These animals fertilize their mates by releasing ciliated sperm, while themselves remaining stationary. They can be found on the human body as well, and the average human home has thousands of mites that make a living by digesting dead skin cells.
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