microhabitat
noun
mi·cro·hab·i·tat
ˌmī-krō-ˈha-bə-ˌtat 
: the microenvironment in which an organism lives
decaying wood creates a microhabitat for insects
Examples of microhabitat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In their pursuit of higher yields, cocoa producers often clear vast tracts of forest, eradicating the complex microhabitats that goliath beetles depend on for breeding, foraging and shelter.
—
Scott Travers, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Guided by their teachers, nearly 30,000 Danish schoolchildren, ages 7 to 16, helped scientists from the Natural History Museum of Denmark catalog tiny, water-dwelling animals known as tardigrades, or water bears, and their microhabitats.
—Paulina Rowińska, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2025
For years, these parental plants offer cool, moist microhabitats to nurture the vulnerable saguaro seedlings.
—Hazlitt, 5 Mar. 2025
Within that immensity, Van Valkenburgh’s team fashioned pockets of intimacy and a variety of microhabitats.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 3 July 2024
Each new garden is the opening up of a microhabitat for a rich tapestry of organisms — insects and birds, small mammals, reptiles, a host of microbes and fungi.
—Krista Stevens, Longreads, 29 Aug. 2024
Walnut Canyon is packed top to bottom with life zones and microhabitats highlighting cactus and agave growing just footsteps from Douglas fir and ponderosa pine.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 4 Jan. 2024
This microhabitat turns traditional thinking about snow on its head.
—Erin Blakemore, Popular Science, 31 Jan. 2020
Another factor in midges’ survival is their microhabitat.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, 10 Sep. 2019
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Scott Travers, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Guided by their teachers, nearly 30,000 Danish schoolchildren, ages 7 to 16, helped scientists from the Natural History Museum of Denmark catalog tiny, water-dwelling animals known as tardigrades, or water bears, and their microhabitats.
—Paulina Rowińska, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2025
For years, these parental plants offer cool, moist microhabitats to nurture the vulnerable saguaro seedlings.
—Hazlitt, 5 Mar. 2025
Within that immensity, Van Valkenburgh’s team fashioned pockets of intimacy and a variety of microhabitats.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 3 July 2024
Each new garden is the opening up of a microhabitat for a rich tapestry of organisms — insects and birds, small mammals, reptiles, a host of microbes and fungi.
—Krista Stevens, Longreads, 29 Aug. 2024
Walnut Canyon is packed top to bottom with life zones and microhabitats highlighting cactus and agave growing just footsteps from Douglas fir and ponderosa pine.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 4 Jan. 2024
This microhabitat turns traditional thinking about snow on its head.
—Erin Blakemore, Popular Science, 31 Jan. 2020
Another factor in midges’ survival is their microhabitat.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, 10 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Microhabitat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microhabitat. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
microhabitat
noun
mi·cro·hab·i·tat
ˌmī-krō-ˈhab-ə-ˌtat
: the microenvironment in which an organism lives
the kidneys, heart, and sinuses are the usual microhabitats of the sporocysts of the schistosome
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