Plankton VOCAB

2. Pertaining to the bottom of a body of water; organisms living on or in the substrate.
4. Planktonic organisms that spend only a part of their life cycle as plankton.
6. Small animals that feed on phytoplankton or other zooplankton
9. Planktonic organisms that spend their entire life cycle in the planktonic phase.
12. A bloom of harmful, often toxic, phytoplankton that can lead to the discoloration of water.
13. Microscopic organisms that drift or float in aquatic environments
18. Larger-sized plankton, visible under a microscope
19. Organisms that obtain their energy by consuming other organisms.
20. A rapid increase in the population of planktonic organisms, often causing discoloration of the water.

1. Extremely small-sized plankton, smaller than microplankton
3. Organisms that produce their own food through processes like photosynthesis.
5. A close and long-term interaction between different biological species.
7. Microscopic, photosynthetic organisms that form the base of the aquatic food chain
8. A type of phytoplankton with a silica-based cell wall, often shaped like a glass shell.
10. The depth in the water column where the rate of photosynthesis equals the rate of respiration
11. Unicellular algae that can be both phytoplankton and sometimes bioluminescent.
14. Zooplankton that remain in the planktonic phase throughout their entire life cycle.
15. The position an organism occupies in a food chain, indicating its feeding relationship to other organisms.
16. Small crustaceans that are a common type of zooplankton.
17. Free-swimming aquatic organisms, such as fish and squid, capable of active movement.