What type of scientist studies microscopic plants and animals?

A microbiologist studies microscopic plants and animals, along with other microscopic forms of life.

Microbiology covers organisms and biological agents too small to see clearly without magnification, including bacteria, archaea, microscopic algae, fungi, protozoa, and some parasites. Modern microbiologists may investigate how these organisms grow, reproduce, exchange genes, cause disease, support ecosystems, or help produce foods and medicines.

The field grew rapidly after Antonie van Leeuwenhoek observed microorganisms with handmade microscopes in the 1670s. In the nineteenth century, Louis Pasteur linked microbes to fermentation and disease, while Robert Koch developed methods for identifying particular disease-causing organisms. Today, microbiologists use microscopy, cell culture, DNA sequencing, and computer analysis.

The answer is sometimes confused with botanist or zoologist. Those scientists generally study plants or animals across all sizes; a microbiologist focuses on microscopic life, whether it belongs to a plant-like, animal-like, fungal, bacterial, or other group.