meroplankton

[ mer-uh-plangk-tuhn ]

noun

1. a floating mass of eggs and larvae of organisms that are nektonic or benthic in their adult stage; temporary plankton.

meroplankton

/ ˌmɛrəʊˈplæŋktən /

noun

1. plankton consisting of organisms at a certain stage of their life cycles, esp larvae, the other stages not being spent as part of the plankton community Compare holoplankton

Word History and Origins

Origin of meroplankton¹

First recorded in 1905–10; from mero- + plankton ( def )