IGciwanyane

IGciwanyane liyisenzi esithelelanayo esisimoncinci esizinyalisa kuphela ngaphakathi kwamangqamuzana aphilayo eziphili . Amagciwanyane lithelela zonke izinhlobo zempilo, kusuka ezilwaneni nezimila kuya kuziphilincinci, kuhlanganise nezinungwana nezingunazane. Kusukela mhla isibhalwa sikaDimitri Ivanovsky ngowe-1892 sichazisa ngegciwane elingesona isinungwana elalithelela izimilo zogwayi kanye nokuvubukulwa kwegciwane likagwayi lamalobo nguMartinus Beijerinck ngowe-1898, sekube namagciwanyane ayizi-9,000 nokweqa achaziswe ngokuningilza ezigidini zezinhlobo zamagciwanyane asemvelweni. Amagciwanyane atholakala kuwo wonke amaxhaxhamvelo(ecosystem) emhlabeni futhi ayisiphili esanda kunazo zonke eziphilayo. Ukufundwa kwamagciwanyane kubizwa ngokuthi umChazagciwanyane, okuwumkhakha womchazampilonci.