microenvironment

American  

[mahy-kroh-en-vahy-ern-muhnt, -vahy-ruhn-] / ˌmaɪ kroʊ ɛnˈvaɪ ərn mənt, -ˈvaɪ rən- /

noun

1. the environment of a small area or of a particular organism; microhabitat.

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microenvironment British  

/ ˈmaɪkrəʊɪnˌvaɪrənmənt /

noun

1. ecology the environment of a small area, such as that around a leaf or plant

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microenvironment Scientific  

/ mī′krō-ĕn-vī′rən-mənt /

1. The environment of a very small, specific area, distinguished from its immediate surroundings by such factors as the amount of incident light, the degree of moisture, and the range of temperatures. The side of a tree that is shaded from sunlight is a microenvironment that typically supports a somewhat different community of organisms than is found on the side that receives regular light.

2. Also called microhabitat

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Other Word Forms

• microenvironmental adjective

Etymology

Origin of microenvironment

First recorded in 1950–55; micro- + environment

Example Sentences

These biofilms are sticky coatings that wrap around the bacteria, producing a low-oxygen microenvironment suitable for nitrogenase activity.

From Science Daily

Despite the seriousness of these disorders, the contribution of the bone marrow microenvironment to their development has remained unclear.

From Science Daily

In MDS, the inflammatory network within the microenvironment becomes dominant and replaces much of the marrow's normal regenerative structure.

From Science Daily

The work appears alongside a complementary study examining the MDS bone marrow microenvironment, also published in Nature Communications and led by Marc Raaijmakers from Erasmus MC Cancer Institute in Rotterdam.

From Science Daily

"However, when viewed in the context of changes in the T cell and stromal compartments, it underlines the importance of the bone marrow microenvironment in shaping disease progression."

From Science Daily