Group of aquatic organisms which drift or float with the currents and tides. Most species are microscopic, although a few larger species are included such as jellyfish.

Passively floating or weakly motile aquatic plants (phytoplankton) and animals (zooplankton).

Small or microscopic organisms, including algae, that float or drift in great numbers in fresh or salt water. They serve as food for fish and other larger animals, such as whales.

Microscopic life-forms found in oceans

passively drifting or weakly swimming organisms living suspended in the water column, often microscopic but sometimes visible to the naked eye.

drifting organisms that lack the ability to swim against currents.

Tiny plants and animals floating on the surface of the sea.

pelagic organisms that drift or float passively in the water and are carried wherever currents and tides take them. Plankton are often microscopic and are an important food source for other aquatic community. There are two types of plankton- phytoplankton (plants and autotrophs) and zooplankton (animals).

Tiny plants and animals that float in sea or lake water.

the mix of microscopic plants and animals found floating freely in a water column

A collective term for the wide variety of plant and animal organisms, often microscopic in size, that float or drift in sea or fresh water. Plankton represent the basic level of many feeding relationships.

small animals (zooplankton) and plants (phytoplankton) which mainly float or drift near the surface of rivers, lakes or the sea.

tiny living animals or plants living in the ocean

microscopic organisms, both plant and animal which is an important food source.

Generally microscopic organisms that float or drift in water.

(1) Small, usually microscopic, plants (phytoplankton) and animals (zooplankton) in aquatic systems. (2) The aggregate of passively floating, drifting, weakly motile organisms in a body of water.

minute aquatic organisms that float or drift near the surface in the open sea.  Plankton comprises plant (phytoplankton) and animal (zooplankton) organisms.

Small aquatic organisms (animals and plants) that, generally having no locomotive organs, drift with water movements as opposed to nekton. The animals in this category include protozoans, small crustaceans, and the larval stages of larger organisms while plant forms are mainly diatoms.

Suspended, free-floating, and microscopic aquatic organisms.

One of three major ecological groups into which marine organisms are divided, the other two being the nekton and the benthos. Plankton are small aquatic organisms (animals and plants) that, generally having no locomotive organs, drift with the currents. The animals in this category include protozoans, small crustaceans, and the larval stages of larger organisms while plant forms are mainly diatoms.

oceanic plants and animals that drift with the currents; although most planktonic species are small, some, such as jellyfishes, are not

Microscopic plants and animals that live near the surface of oceans and lakes.

animals and plants usually tiny, that drift or float in ocean and lakes.

organisms that swim or float in water

The smallest living organisms.

The passively floating animal and plant life of a body of water.

(PLANK-tuhn) - tiny plants and animals that drift in the ocean.

minute animal, plant, and protist life of a body of water especially on its surface

A collection of microscopic organisms, including algae, animals, and protists, that float in huge numbers in water. Plankton is usually in largest numbers near the surface. Many animals feed on plankton, including young fish. Zooplankton is plankton that is mostly tiny animals, rather than plants. [Go to source

Microscopic organisms, which form the most primitive rung of the food chain. They serve as food for most small aquatic species. Unable to swim against ocean currents.

The community of organisms that drift or float in the water; some are capable of movement, but not against a current.

Tiny (often microscopic) aquatic plants (phytoplankton) and animals (zooplankton) that move with the ocean currents.

the various, mostly microscopic, aquatic organisms (plants and animals) that serve as food for larger aquatic animals and fish.

Aquatic plant life that floats at the mercy of the currents or has limited swimming abilities.

drifting organisms, usually microscopic plants or animals

organisms free-floating or drifting in the open water of the oceans with their lateral and vertical movements determined by water motion.

microscopic aquatic plants and animals that depend chiefly upon currents for their movements

Free-floating plants or animals.

Gr. planktos: wandering] • The free-floating organisms of the sea and fresh water that for the most part move passively with the water currents. Consisting mostly of microorganisms and small plants and animals. (Contrast with nekton.)

Minute forms of aquatic plant and animal life inhabiting oceans, seas, rivers, ponds or lakes which swim weakly or drift.

Organisms that live in water and drift with the currents. Plankton are either too small, or too weak, to swim against currents.

Refers to free-living organisms in aquatic environments that have little or no self-motility and therefore float and drift under the action of water movement.

free-floating and drifting organisms that live in the water column.

small aquatic plants and animals that drift in the ocean; types include algae, phytoplankton, zooplankton and zooxanthellae.

Plankton refers to "drifting" or "passively swimming" organisms and is a broad category for microscopic plants and animals that drift with the ocean waves. In the marine life cycle food chain plankton is at the bottom and therefore the key ingredient in growing any other animals further up the chain. For this reason plankton is a critical component in marine hatcheries, aquariums, and scientific research world-wide.

Small or microscopic algae and organisms associated with surface water and the water column.

plants or animals that drift in the water column and are unable to swim against a current

floating or drifting organisms in salt or fresh water communities that are moved by the currents. Classified into phytoplankton (plants) and zooplankton (animals).

1.) Collective term for very small plants and animals that drift near the surface of water. Phytoplankton include bacteria, algae (including diatoms), and fungi. The small animals are called zooplankton, the small plants are called phytoplankton. 2.) All free-floating plants and animals (usually microscopic), alive or dead.

the aggregate of small plant and animal organisms that float or drift in great numbers in fresh or salt water

tiny water organisms that drift in the water

Organisms that float at or near the surface of the water and are unable to swim strongly enough to go against tides, winds, or currents. Plants, animals, and bacteria can all be planktonic.

Aquatic organisms that float at the mercy of the currents or have limited swimming abilities.

Tiny microscopic creatures living in the sea. Some are animals - zooplankton, some are plants - phytoplankton.

microscopic aquatic organisms (plants and animals) which are food for larger aquatic animals and fish.

small (often microscopic) plants and animals floating, drifting or weakly swimming in bodies of fresh or salt water.

Organisms that live in the water column and are passively carried by the currents.

organisms that are suspended or floating, and do not have sufficient swimming abilities to avoid transport by major water movements

Small to microscopic organisms that live near the ocean's surface and are carried along by the currents. Animal plankton are called zooplankton, and plant plankton are called phytoplankton

small aquatic organisms whose direction is controlled by water movements. Plankton may be able to swim by means of flagella or other appendages, but they are not strong enough to swim against a current.

Tiny plant or animal organisms that drift near the surface of the water and which form an important link in the food chain.

free-floating, microscopic sea organisms with limited swimming abilities that float at the mercy of the tides and currents.

The animals (Zooplankton) and plants (phytoplankton) which drift in the open sea. Juvenile ammonites were probably planktonic and may have fed on other planktonic animals. A few ammonites may have been plankton throughout their entire lives, notably the heteromorphs. Prosiphon The beginning of the siphuncle. The prosiphon is located within the first chamber of the shell.

PLANK-tun Microscopic organisms that drift in large populations in water. 458

small, simple plants and animals that live in water.

n. Organisms that drift in mid-water in ponds, lakes, or the sea; generally moved more by water currents than by their own swimming.

small aquatic animals that drift in currents; can be divided into two main groups: plant-like plankton and animal-like plankton; plant-like plankton are the foundation of aquatic food webs

Microscopic plants and animals that drift near the surface of open waters.

Small plants and animals that drift in the water current.

Microscopic plants (phytoplankton, which are single-celled algae) or animals (zooplankton) that mainly drift with the tides

a collective name for the minute, free-floating, one-celled organisms that form the basic link in aquatic food chains

Organisms that cannot swim or are very weak swimmers and are at the mercy of the currents

1) Small, usually microscopic, plants (phytoplankton) and animals (zooplankton) in aquatic systems. 2) All of the smaller floating, suspended or self-propelled organisms in a body of water.

small animal and plant organisms that float or drift in water, such as small crustaceans, algae, etc. This serves as an important source of food for fish.

The most minute and primitive creatures of the food chain. They are tiny organisms that drift through the layers of the ocean and serve as food for many small aquatic species. Plankton are the drifters of the sea. Although they may have some form of locomotion, water currents mostly carry them. Plankton is divided into macroplankton (jellyfish, sargassum weed) and microplankton. The microplankton is divided into zooplankton, tiny marine animals, and phytoplankton, or plants. Most fish start their lives as small animals in the plankton.

Aquatic organisms that drift, or swim weakly.

tiny marine animals (zooplankton) and plants (phytoplankton) which live at or near the surface of the ocean. Plankton are the first link in the marine food chain.

A complex mixture composed of the larvae of fish, corals and other invertebrates, algae, and numerous single cell organisms. It is a universal food source for the creatures of the deep.

Organisms, mostly small, that drift or swim too slowly to oppose ocean currents. Plankton that perform photosynthesis are called phytoplankton, those that do not are called zooplankton.

tiny plants and animals, too tiny to see, that live in the water

Generally tiny animals or plants that live floating in water.

(opp. nekton) Floating and drifting organisms that have limited swimming abilities and that are carried largely passively with water currents. These include bacteria (bacterioplankton), plants and plant-like organisms (phytoplankton) and the animals (zooplankton) that eat them.

Free-floating, mostly microscopic, aquatic organisms. Plankton can be divided into phytoplankton (plants) and zooplankton (animals). For more information see What is plankton? (Australian Museum Online).

Microscopic plants and animals that drift in the sea.

Pelagic organisms that float through the water column, not attached to any substrate and unable to move against the currents and tides. Plankton can be further divided into phytoplankton and zooplankton, meroplankton and holoplankton. Compare nekton.

tiny plants and animals that live in open water of lakes and oceans.

A general term for microscopic sea life.

Floating masses of tiny plant and animal matter, food for some whales and other sea creatures. The whalers' name for it is krill because the little crustacean often makes up a large part of it.

Small organisms with limited locomotion that passively drift or weakly swim in marine and fresh waters. Oyster have planktonic larvae.

Floating or weakly swimming organisms whose migration is controlled by waves and currents. Animals of the group are called zooplankton and the plants are called phytoplankton.

floating or weakly swimming organisms that move with the currents in all natural waters; can be photosynthetic (phytoplankton) or animals (zooplankton).

Tiny (generally microscopic) animals and plants that live in water.

Microscopic plant and animal life drifting or swimming weakly on ocean currents. This is an important source of food for baleen whales.

collective word for microscopic organisms that drift around in the upper level of a body of water.

minute plants and animals floating in bodies of water; often a major source of nutrition for larger aquatic life forms

Small or microscopic plants and animals that float or drift in great numbers in fresh or salt water, especially at or near the surface, and serve as food for fish and other larger organisms.

small animal/plant organisms that drift in water, primarily near the surface..

The free-floating or suspended community of tiny plants (phytoplankton) and animals (zooplankton). [Gk. planktos, wandering.

group of minute plants and animals that float in the ocean

any microscopic organisms that drift in the water

Tiny plant and animal life which drift in water.

Small plants (phytoplankton) and animals (zooplankton) that are suspended in the water and either drift with the currents or swim weakly.

Microscopic plants and animals that drift with the currents.

Collective term for the passively floating flora and fauna of a body of water.

the collection of small or microscopic organisms, including algae that float or drift in great numbers in fresh or salt water.

Minute, free-floating aquatic plants and animals.

Aquatic and usually microscopic organisms that feed in the world's oceans. Phytoplankton feed by photosynthesis whilst zooplankton refers to animal life forms.

Free-floating and swimming microscopic aquatic plants and animals.

Planktonic: organisms (usually very tiny) which live in water and drift with the currents.

microscopic organisms that drift freely with water currents; phytoplankton are producers (plants); zooplankton are animals.

small plant and animal organisms that float or drift in great numbers in fresh or salt water, especially at or near the surface. These serve as food for many fish and other larger organisms. (See also phytoplankton, zooplankton, and planktivore.) small, free-floating, aquatic plant (phytoplankton) and animal (zooplankton) organisms that serve as food for many larger organisms (planktivores.)

free-floating organisms drifting in water, unable to swim against currents.

Plants (phytoplankton), animals (zooplankton), and other organisms that drift in the water column. They are often microscopic but range in size from single-cells to large oceanic jellyfish.

Plankton are the drifters of the sea. Although they may have some form of locomotion they are mostly carried by water currents. Plankton is divided into macroplankton ( jellyfish, sargassum weed) and microplankton, organisms that can only be seen by a microscope. The microplankton is divided into zooplankton, tiny marine animals, and phytoplankton, or plants. Most fish start their lives as small animals in the plankton..

free-floating, usu. microscopic plant and animal life found in fresh or salt water.

Microscopic, floating organisms in the aquatic systems. They may be phytoplankton or zooplankton.

passively floating or weakly swimming, microscopic animals and plants

minute plants (phytoplankton) and animals (zooplankton) which occur in the water column - the floating organisms of the sea

Small plant organisms (phytoplankton) and animal organisms (zooplankton) that float in aquatic ecosystems.

Minute floating forms of microscopic plants and animals in water which cannot get about to any extent under their own power. They form the important beginnings of food chains for larger animals.

A term used to refer to both phytoplankton and zooplankton.

The plankton includes all aquatic organisms that are carried passively in the water currents. Most are microscopic (such as diatoms, dinoflagellates, and copepods), but others can be relatively large (such as comb jellies and sea nettles). Plankton is one of three divisions of aquatic life; the others are the nekton ("swimmers") and the benthos ("bottom-dwellers").

A body of water's animal ("zooplankton") and plant ("phytoplankton") life, usually microscopic to small in size, that floats or swims weakly.

small plant organisms (phytoplankton and nanoplankton) and animal organisms (zooplankton) that float or swim weakly though the water.

plants and animals that swim weakly, or not at all, and drift with ocean currents

microscopic free-floating or suspended plants and animals which inhabit an aquatic environment and are used as food by some fish species

Passively drifting or weakly swimming organisms that are not independent of currents, including mostly microscopic algae, protozoa and larval forms of higher animals.

The small and microscopic organisms drifting or floating in the sea or fresh water.

The small animals and plants that float or drift in the water, usually on the surface.

Myriad forms of tiny marine life.

Minute plant ( phytoplankton) and animal organisms ( zooplankton) that are found in aquatic ecosystems.

Minute organisms floating in the seas, rivers, ponds, lakes as distinct from those which are attached or crawl upon the bottom.

n. Very small, free-floating organisms of the ocean or other aquatic systems, including phytoplankton, which produce their own nutrients through photosynthesis, or zooplankton, which get their nutrients from organisms.

A group of tiny microorganisms which live in vast numbers in the oceans and lakes.

Those aquatic organisms that are unable to maintain their position or distribution independent of the movement of water masses.

Usually small animals, including larvae and postlarvae, that are transported by tidal and wind-driven ocean currents.

Primarily microscopic organisms that occupy the upper water layers in both freshwater and marine ecosystems.

1. Small, usually microscopic, free-floating plants (phytoplankton) and animals (zooplankton) in aquatic systems.

Plankton are tiny marine animals and plants that drift along with ocean currents, living near the surface. The whale shark and the megamouth shark are filter feeders that eat plankton.

Microorganisms suspended in the water having little or not power of locomotion carried by waves, currents and other movements of water.

the community of microorganisms, consisting of plants ( phytoplankton) and animals ( zooplankton) inhabiting open water regions of oceans, estuaries, lakes and rivers.

Plankton are tiny marine animals (zooplankton) and plants (phytoplankton) that drift along with ocean currents, living near the surface. Baleen whales filter feed plankton.

Passively floating or weakly swimming plant and animal life in either fresh or marine waters. From the Greek, planktos ( planktos), "to wander or drift."

(adj. planktonic)- mostly microscopic animals and plants which float or drift in aquatic habitats.

Plankton are defined as any drifting organism that inhabits the water column of oceans, seas, and bodies of fresh water. They are widely considered to be one of the most important organisms on Earth, due to the food supply they provide to most aquatic life.