vocab

3. Tide A bloom of harmful, often toxic, phytoplankton that can lead to the discoloration of water.
6. A rapid increase in the population of planktonic organisms, often causing discoloration of the water.
9. Microscopic, photosynthetic organisms that form the base of the aquatic food chain.
11. The position an organism occupies in a food chain, indicating its feeding relationship to other organisms
12. A close and long-term interaction between different biological species.
13. Planktonic organisms that spend only a part of their life cycle as plankton.
14. Organisms that produce their own food through processes like photosynthesis.
15. Free-swimming aquatic organisms, such as fish and squid, capable of active movement.
17. Unicellular algae that can be both phytoplankton and sometimes bioluminescent.
18. Small animals that feed on phytoplankton or other zooplankton.

1. Zooplankton that remain in the planktonic phase throughout their entire life cycle. Critical Depth: The depth in the water column where the rate of photosynthesis equals the rate of respiration.
2. Planktonic organisms that spend their entire life cycle in the planktonic phase.
4. Small crustaceans that are a common type of zooplankton.
5. Organisms that obtain their energy by consuming other organisms.
6. Pertaining to the bottom of a body of water; organisms living on or in the substrate.
7. A type of phytoplankton with a silica-based cell wall, often shaped like a glass shell.
8. Microscopic organisms that drift or float in aquatic environments.
10. Extremely small-sized plankton, smaller than microplankton.
16. Larger-sized plankton, visible under a microscope.