holoplankton

American

[hol-uh-plangk-tuhn, hoh-luh-] / ˌhɒl əˈplæŋk tən, ˌhoʊ lə- /

noun

plankton that spend their entire life cycle as free-swimming organisms (opposed to hemiplankton).

holoplankton British

/ ˌhɒləˈplæŋktən /

noun

organisms, such as diatoms and algae, that spend all stages of their life cycle as plankton Compare meroplankton

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

holoplankton Scientific

/ hŏl′ə-plăngk′tən,hō′lə- /

Plankton that remains free-swimming through all stages of its life cycle.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

holoplanktonic

adjective

Etymology

Origin of holoplankton

holo- + plankton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023