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meroplankton

[mer-uh-plangk-tuh n]
noun
  1. a floating mass of eggs and larvae of organisms that are nektonic or benthic in their adult stage; temporary plankton.
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Origin of meroplankton

1905–10; back formation from meroplanktonic; see mero-, planktonic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for meroplankton

meroplankton

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 communityCompare holoplankton
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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