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This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 5 February 2025. Organisms living in water or air that are drifters on the current or wind This article is about the marine organisms. For other uses, see Plankton (disambiguation). Marine microplankton and mesoplankton Part of the contents of one dip of a hand net. The image contains diverse planktonic ...
Zooplankton (/ ˈ z oʊ. ə p l æ ŋ k t ən /; [2] / ˌ z oʊ. ə ˈ p l æ ŋ k t ən /) [3] are heterotrophic (sometimes detritivorous) plankton.The word zooplankton is derived from Ancient Greek: ζῷον, romanized: zôion, lit.
Phytoplankton (/ ˌ f aɪ t oʊ ˈ p l æ ŋ k t ə n /) are the autotrophic (self-feeding) components of the plankton community and a key part of ocean and freshwater ecosystems.The name comes from the Greek words φυτόν (phyton), meaning 'plant', and πλαγκτός (planktos), meaning 'wanderer' or 'drifter'.
Some of the largest plankton are krill and feed the largest of animals, baleen whales. My first foray into the scientific world was a job sexing Jassa falcata (a tiny amphipod) under a microscope.
Plankton can be divided into producers and consumers. The producers are the phytoplankton (Greek phyton = plant) and the consumers, who eat the phytoplankton, are the zooplankton (Greek zoon = animal). Jellyfish are slow swimmers, and most species form part of the plankton. Traditionally, jellyfish have been viewed as trophic dead ends.
As major decomposers of organic matter, heterotrophic bacterioplankton act as an important link between detritus, dissolved organic matter, and higher trophic levels in aquatic systems. [1] Bacterioplankton degrade particulate organic matter into smaller compounds and either assimilate and absorb them or expel them as inorganic carbon. [ 10 ]
Plankton are defined by their ecological niche, not by any phylogenetic or taxonomic classification. They are a crucial source of food for many marine animals, from forage fish to whales . Plankton can be divided into a plant-like component and an animal component.
Decomposers are often left off food webs, but if included, they mark the end of a food chain. [6] Thus food chains start with primary producers and end with decay and decomposers. Since decomposers recycle nutrients, leaving them so they can be reused by primary producers, they are sometimes regarded as occupying their own trophic level. [7] [8]