# Geophilic
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{{Short description|Ecological term for soil loving organisms}}
{{Refimprove|auto=yes|date=December 2009}}
== Overview ==
'''Geophilic''' means [soil](/source/soil) loving or preferring the soil habitats.[{{cite web |title=Geophilic |url=https://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Geophilic |website=Biology Online |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208131934/www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Geophilic |archive-date=8 December 2015 |date=3 October 2005}}] This term is commonly used when referring to certain types of fungi or molds that live in the soil ([mycology](/source/mycology)). Many of these organisms are usually recovered from the soil but occasionally infect [human](/source/human)s and [animal](/source/animal)s. They cause a marked [inflammatory reaction](/source/Inflammation), which limits the spread of the [infection](/source/infection) and may lead to a spontaneous cure but may also leave [scar](/source/scar)s.[{{cite journal |last1=Weitzman |first1=Irene |last2=Summerbell |first2=Richard C. |author2-link=Richard Summerbell |title=The dermatophytes |journal=[Clinical Microbiology Reviews](/source/Clinical_Microbiology_Reviews) |date=April 1995 |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=240–259 |doi=10.1128/CMR.8.2.240 |publisher=[American Society for Microbiology](/source/American_Society_for_Microbiology) |pmid=7621400 |pmc=172857 |issn=0893-8512 |oclc=38839512 |doi-access=free}}]
Can also refer to someone who loves the earth, [sustainability](/source/sustainability), or “green” initiatives. An individual with these tendencies may be referred to as a "geophile."
== In Mycology ==
[Dermatophytes](/source/Dermatophyte), which are fungi that infect keratinized tissue, such as fur, feathers, hooves, and other keratin sources, can be geophilic species. They are typically found in soil, decomposing keratinized tissue. They are one of three ecological categories defined by habitat preference, alongside [anthropophilic](/source/Anthropophilia) (human loving) and zoophilic (animal loving)[{{Cite web |title=Geophilic - an overview {{!}} ScienceDirect Topics |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/immunology-and-microbiology/geophilic |access-date=2026-05-01 |website=www.sciencedirect.com}}]. Geophilic fungi are generally [saprotrophic](/source/Saprotroph), decomposing organic matter in soil, and play important roles in [nutrient cycling](/source/Nutrient_cycle) and [soil ecology](/source/soil_ecology).
Classification is usually to determine sources of infection. Geophilic and zoophilic dermatophytes typically cause more severe, inflamed, self-limiting lesions, whereas anthropophilic dermatophytes generally cause chronic lesions with less inflammation. [{{Cite journal |last1=Taghipour |first1=Simin |last2=Abastabar |first2=Mahdi |last3=Piri |first3=Fahimeh |last4=Aboualigalehdari |first4=Elham |last5=Jabbari |first5=Mohammad Reza |last6=Zarrinfar |first6=Hossein |last7=Nouripour-Sisakht |first7=Sadegh |last8=Mohammadi |first8=Rasoul |last9=Ahmadi |first9=Bahram |last10=Ansari |first10=Saham |last11=Katiraee |first11=Farzad |last12=Niknejad |first12=Farhad |last13=Didehdar |first13=Mojtaba |last14=Nazeri |first14=Mehdi |last15=Makimura |first15=Koichi |date=2021-04-28 |title=Diversity of Geophilic Dermatophytes Species in the Soils of Iran; The Significant Preponderance of Nannizzia fulva |journal=Journal of Fungi (Basel, Switzerland) |volume=7 |issue=5 |pages=345 |doi=10.3390/jof7050345 |doi-access=free |issn=2309-608X |pmc=8145706 |pmid=33925095}}]
* Nannizzia Gypsea