Plankton Vocab

4. Pertaining to the bottom of a body of water; organisms living on or in the substrate.
6. Small crustaceans that are a common type of zooplankton.
7. A close and long-term interaction between different biological species.
10. Organisms that obtain their energy by consuming other organisms.
12. Planktonic organisms that spend their entire life cycle in the planktonic phase.
13. Planktonic organisms that spend only a part of their life cycle as plankton.
14. Small animals that feed on phytoplankton or other zooplankton.
16. Zooplankton that remain in the planktonic phase throughout their entire life cycle.
17. Microscopic, photosynthetic organisms that form the base of the aquatic food chain.

1. Extremely small-sized plankton, smaller than microplankton.
2. A type of phytoplankton with a silica-based cell wall, often shaped like a glass shell.
3. A rapid increase in the population of planktonic organisms, often causing discoloration of the water.
5. A bloom of harmful, often toxic, phytoplankton that can lead to the discoloration of water.
8. Free-swimming aquatic organisms, such as fish and squid, capable of active movement.
9. Larger-sized plankton, visible under a microscope.
11. Organisms that produce their own food through processes like photosynthesis.
15. Microscopic organisms that drift or float in aquatic environments.