macrobiota

views updated May 21 2018

macrobiota(macrofauna, macroflora) A general term for the larger soil organisms which may be hand-sorted from a soil sample. ‘Macrofauna’ in particular refers to burrowing vertebrate animals (e.g. rabbits and moles), while ‘macrobiota’ generally also includes larger plant material (e.g. tree roots). Some workers also include larger insects and earthworms in this category, but others consider them part of the mesobiota. Compare mesobiota and microbiota.

macrobiota

views updated May 29 2018

macrobiota (macrofauna, macroflora) A general term for the larger soil organisms which may be hand-sorted from a soil sample. ‘Macrofauna’ in particular refers to burrowing vertebrate animals (e.g. rabbits and moles), while ‘macrobiota’ generally also includes larger plant material (e.g. tree roots). Some workers also include larger insects and earthworms in this category, but others consider them part of the mesobiota. Compare MESOBIOTA and MICROBIOTA.