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

When conditions are changing as fast as they are now, organisms that are well-suited to the conditions and specific microenvironment they are adapted to cannot make this change as fast as they must.

From Salon

When you live without air-conditioning or other amenities, you adapt faster to your changing microenvironment.

From Scientific American

The chemotherapy or other harsh treatments cancer patients receive also weaken their immune response, and tumors are protected by their “microenvironment”—surrounding cells and molecules that suppress killer T cells and block them from entering tumors.

From Science Magazine

“Her groundbreaking work has helped shape our understanding of stem cell behavior and the tumor microenvironment in cancer, and has provided scientists with important tools to study the many types of cancer.”

From Washington Post