Plankton Vocabulary

3. Organisms that obtain their energy by consuming other organisms
7. Small crustaceans that are a common type of zooplankton
10. Extremely small-sized plankton, smaller than microplankton
12. Larger-sized plankton, visible under a microscope
14. Planktonic organisms that spend their entire life cycle in the planktonic phase
15. Free-swimming aquatic organisms, such as fish and squid, capable of active movement

1. Pertaining to the bottom of a body of water; organisms living on or in the substrate
2. Microscopic, photosynthetic organisms that form the base of the aquatic food chain
4. Planktonic organisms that spend only a part of their life cycle as plankton
5. Small animals that feed on phytoplankton or other zooplankton
6. Microscopic organisms that drift or float in aquatic environments
8. A type of phytoplankton with a silica-based cell wall, often shaped like a glass shell
9. A rapid increase in the population of planktonic organisms, often causing discoloration of the water
11. Organisms that produce their own food through processes like photosynthesis
13. Unicellular algae that can be both phytoplankton and sometimes bioluminescent