Plankton: Pelagic organisms that float through the water column, not attached to any substrate and unable to move against the currents and tides. Plankton can be further divided into phytoplankton and zooplankton, meroplankton and holoplankton. Compare nekton.

 

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Plankton: Pelagic organisms that float through the water column, not attached to any substrate and unable to move against the currents and tides. Plankton can be further divided into phytoplankton and . . . View Full Definition

Nanoplankton: Planktonic organisms that are 2-20 micometers in size.

Mixoplankton: Planktonic organisms that can be classified at several trophic levels. For example, some ciliates can be photosynthetic but also can ingest other plankton and are heterotrophic.

Meroplankton: Organisms that spend part of their time in the plankton but also spend time in the benthos (e.g., planktonic larvae of benthic invertebrates)

Megaplankton: Planktonic organisms that are greater than or equal to 2000 micrometers in size

Ultraplankton: Planktonic organisms that are less than 2 micrometers in size

Zooplankton: Animal members of the plankton

Bloom (Phytoplankton): A population burst of phytoplankton that remains within a defined part of the water column

Macroplankton: Planktonic organisms that are 200-2,000 micrometers in size.

Phytoplankton: A fioating layer of photosynthetic organisms, including algae, that are an important source of atmospheric oxygen and form the base of the aquatic food chain.