Plankton Vocab

1. A close and long-term interaction between different biological species.
6. Free-swimming aquatic organisms, such as fish and squid, capable of active movement
7. Small animals that feed on phytoplankton or other zooplankton
10. Planktonic organisms that spend only a part of their life cycle as plankton.
13. Zooplankton that remain in the planktonic phase throughout their entire life cycle
14. Organisms that obtain their energy by consuming other organisms.
15. Pertaining to the bottom of a body of water; organisms living on or in the substrate.

2. Larger-sized plankton, visible under a microscope.
3. The position an organism occupies in a food chain, indicating its feeding relationship to other organisms.
4. Microscopic, photosynthetic organisms that form the base of the aquatic food chain
5. A rapid increase in the population of planktonic organisms, often causing discoloration of the water.
8. Organisms that produce their own food through processes like photosynthesis.
9. Microscopic organisms that drift or float in aquatic environments
11. A bloom of harmful, often toxic, phytoplankton that can lead to the discoloration of water.
12. Planktonic organisms that spend their entire life cycle in the planktonic phase.