microenvironmentn.
/ˌmʌɪkrəʊᵻnˈvʌɪrə(n)m(ə)nt/, /mʌɪkrəʊɛnˈvʌɪrə(n)m(ə)nt/, U.S. /ˈˌmaɪkroʊənˈvaɪrə(n)m(ə)nt/, /ˈˌmaɪkroʊənˈvaɪərnm(ə)nt/; see also environment n. Chiefly Biology.
A small-scale, local, or specialized environment, esp. as a distinct part of a larger environment; the immediate environment of an organism, species, etc.
ΚΠ
1931 Jrnl. Ecol. 19 265 This must..go hand in hand with a study of the micro-environment, i.e. of gas content, ph, and other determinable features.
1934 Science 21 Dec. 571/2 We need especially to try to envisage the structural and performance patterns of a very thin environmental shell, which lies externally against the organism's periphery. This is sometimes called the micro-environment.
1954 New Biol. 17 7 Dr. Edney's account of the water relations of woodlice is a study in comparative physiology, within a single order, linked closely to the differences in environments—and indeed micro-environments—of the species concerned.
1962 F. I. Ordway et al. Basic Astronautics xiii. 515 The apparent simplicity of the concept of a microenvironment within the spaceship leaves one serious gap.
1973 Nature 2 Mar. 20/2 Commitment may not occur until stem cells enter the microenvironment of the thymus or bursa (or bursa equivalent).
1989 E. Lawrence Guide Mod. Biol. vii. 224 The ejected ions do not simply diffuse away since the inner membrane is highly convoluted, providing an isolated microenvironment between the folds of the cristae.
1997 National Wildlife Aug. 12/2 A wetland created as an extension to a pond will also provide a microenvironment for the creatures that dwell and feed around the..edges.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1931