aufwuchs

== English == === Etymology === Borrowed from German Aufwuchs (“surface growth, overgrowth”). === Noun === aufwuchs (countable and uncountable, plural aufwuchs) (ecology) The small animals and plants that encrust hard substrates, such as rocks, in aquatic environments. ==== Usage notes ==== Aufwuchs may be used with plural verbs ("the aufwuchs are...") or singular verbs ("the aufwuchs is..."). Rarely, aufwuch is used as a singular form, denoting a single small animal or plant that forms part of the aufwuchs.