defaunatedadj.
/diːˈfɔːneɪtᵻd/, U.S. /diˈfɔˌneɪdᵻd/, /diˈfɑˌneɪdᵻd/ 1. Designating a host organism or a part of its body from which parasitic or symbiotic protozoans or invertebrates have been removed; spec. designating a ruminant or rumen from which ciliate protozoans have been eliminated.
ΚΠ
1923 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 9 425 Some of the defaunated termites were fed fungus-digested cellulose and some were fed humus.
1963 G. S. Coleman in 13th Symp. Soc. Gen. Microbiol. 319 Defaunated sheep on a similar diet appeared to be bloated, although otherwise healthy.
1994 P. J. Van Soest Nutritional Ecol. Ruminant (ed. 2) xvi. 262/2 Bacteria are more numerous in defaunated rumens.
2002 Jrnl. Agric., Biol., & Environmental Statistics 7 144 Those steers assigned to the control group remained defaunated.
2. Designating a region, habitat, etc., in which (certain) animal life has been destroyed.
ΚΠ
1969 Ecology 50 282/2 On untreated islands there may be predation by animals not present on recently defaunated islands.
1987 Florida Entomologist 70 3 One-hundred polypropylene specimen containers..were filled with defaunated sediment.
1997 S. G. Pemberton & J. A. MacEachern in C. E. Brett & G. C. Baird Paleontological Events iv. 82 Most opportunistic species that initially recolonize defaunated environments are tube-dwelling polychaetes.
2000 D. Dudgeon et al. in P. J. Boon et al. Global Perspectives on River Conservation xi. 288 Recolonization of defaunated areas is often prevented by dams which block fish movements.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1923