Plankton Vocab

4. The depth in the water column where the rate of photosynthesis equals the rate of respiration
6. zpp plankton that remains in the planktonic phase throughout their enitre life cycle
7. free-swimming aquatic organisms such as fish and squid capable of active movement
9. organisms that produce their own food through processes like photosynthesis
15. small animals that feed on phytoplankton or other zooplankton
16. a close and long-term interaction between different biological species
18. Planktonic organisms that spend their entire life cycle in the planktonic phase
19. pertaining to the bottom of a body of water; organisms living on or in the substrate
20. the position an organism occupies in a good chain

1. small crustaceans that are a common type of zooplankton
2. organisms that obtain their energy by consuming other organisms
3. a bloom of harmful, often toxic plankton that can lead to the discoloration of water
5. A rapid increase in the population of plankton organisms often causing discoloration of the water
8. extremely small sized plankton, smaller than microplankton
10. Microscopic organisms that drift or float in aquatic environments
11. planktonic organisms that spend only a part of their life cycle as plankton
12. Microscopic photosynthetic organisms that form the base of the aquatic food chain
13. a type of phytoplankton with a silica-based cell wall, often shaped like a glass shell
14. unicellular algae that can be both phytoplankton and sometimes bioluminescent
17. Larger sized plankton, visible under a microscope