The terms "macrophage" and "microphage" are used in

ecology Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their Natural environment, environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosystem, and biosphere lev ...

to describe

heterotrophs A heterotroph (; ) is an organism that cannot produce its own food, instead taking nutrition from other sources of organic carbon, mainly plant or animal matter. In the food chain, heterotrophs are primary, secondary and tertiary consumers, but ...

that consume food in two different ways. Both macrophages and microphages "ingest solid food and may process it through some sort of

alimentary canal The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The tract is the largest of the body's systems, after the cardiovascular system. ...

."Sterner, R.W. and J.J. Elser. Ecological Stoichiometry:-) The Biology of Elements from Molecules to the Biosphere. Princeton University Press, 2002. However, a macrophage "handles food items singly, while a microphage handles food items in bulk without manipulating them individually."Taghon, G.L. 1981. Beyond Selection: Optimal Ingestion Rate as a Function of Food Value. The American Naturalist. 118(2). Microphages include suspension feeders, and often incidentally digest low-quality food items. Another category of heterotrophs based on feeding mechanism, known as " osmotrophs," is made up of organisms (primarily fungi and bacteria) that absorb organism matter directly across their cell membranes. The terms "macrophage" and "microphage" were originally used in this sense by Jordan and Hirsch (1927; cited in Yonge 1928). Although they have been used in ecology texts as recently as 2002, the terms

macrophage Macrophages (; abbreviated MPhi, φ, MΦ or MP) are a type of white blood cell of the innate immune system that engulf and digest pathogens, such as cancer cells, microbes, cellular debris and foreign substances, which do not have proteins that ...

and

microphage Neutrophils are a type of phagocytic white blood cell and part of innate immunity. More specifically, they form the most abundant type of granulocytes and make up 40% to 70% of all white blood cells in humans. Their functions vary in different ...

today are primarily used to describe two different types of

white blood cells White blood cells (scientific name leukocytes), also called immune cells or immunocytes, are cells of the immune system that are involved in protecting the body against both infectious disease and foreign entities. White blood cells are genera ...

in the

vertebrate Vertebrates () are animals with a vertebral column (backbone or spine), and a cranium, or skull. The vertebral column surrounds and protects the spinal cord, while the cranium protects the brain. The vertebrates make up the subphylum Vertebra ...

immune system The immune system is a network of biological systems that protects an organism from diseases. It detects and responds to a wide variety of pathogens, from viruses to bacteria, as well as Tumor immunology, cancer cells, Parasitic worm, parasitic ...

References

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