Microbivory

Microbivory (adj. microbivorous, microbivoreEffects of microbivore species composition and basal resource enrichment on trophic-level biomasses in an experimental microbial-based soil food web. J Mikola, Oecologia, 1998) is a feeding behavior consisting of eating microbes (especially bacteria) practiced by animals of the mesofauna, microfauna and meiofauna.Rates of metazoan meiofaunal microbivory: a review. PA Montagna, Vie et Milieu, 1995Energetics of detritivory and microbivory in soil in theory and practice. DC Coleman, Food Webs, 1996Radioisotope technique to quantify in situ microbivory by meiofauna in sediments. PA Montagna, Handbook of methods in aquatic microbial ecology …, 1993

Microbivorous animals include some soil nematodes,Life cycle of the microbivorous Antarctic Dry Valley nematode Scottnema lindsayae (Timm 1971). A Overhoff, DW Freckman, RA Virginia - Polar Biology, 1993Organic and inorganic nitrogenous losses by microbivorous nematodes in soil. RV Anderson, WD Gould, LE Woods, C Cambardella… - Oikos, 1983Uncoupling of carbon and nitrogen mineralization: role of microbivorous nematodes. MC Savin, JH Görres, DA Neher, JA Amador - Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2001 springtails or flies such as Drosophila sharpi. A well known example of microbivorous nematodes is the model roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans which is maintained in culture in labs on agar plates, fed with the 'OP50' Escherichia coli strain of bacteria.

In food webs of ecosystems, microbivores can be distinguished from detritivores, generally thought playing the roles of decomposers, as they don't consume decaying dead matter but only living microorganisms.