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zooplankton

 
Dictionary: zo·o·plank·ton
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(zō'ə-plăngk'tən) pronunciation
n.
Plankton that consists of animals, including the corals, rotifers, sea anemones, and jellyfish.

zooplanktonic zo'o·plank·ton'ic (-tŏn'ĭk) adj.

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: zooplankton
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Small floating or weakly swimming animals that drift with water currents and, with phytoplankton, make up the planktonic food supply on which almost all oceanic organisms ultimately depend (see plankton). Included are many animals, from single-celled radiolarians to the eggs or larvae of herrings, crabs, and lobsters. Permanent plankton (holoplankton), such as protozoans and copepods, spend their lives as plankton. Temporary plankton (meroplankton), such as young starfish, clams, worms, and other bottom-dwelling animals, live and feed as plankton until they become adults.

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WordNet: zooplankton
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: animal constituent of plankton; mainly small crustaceans and fish larvae

 
 

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more