zooplankton

American  

[zoh-uh-plangk-tuhn] / ˌzoʊ əˈplæŋk tən /

noun

1. the aggregate of animal or animallike organisms in plankton, as protozoans.

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zooplankton British  

/ ˌzəʊəˈplæŋktən /

noun

1. the animal constituent of plankton, which consists mainly of small crustaceans and fish larvae Compare phytoplankton

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zooplankton Scientific  

/ zō′ə-plăngk′tən /

1. Plankton that consists of tiny animals, such as rotifers, copepods, and krill, and of microorganisms once classified as animals, such as dinoflagellates and other protozoans.

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Etymology

Origin of zooplankton

First recorded in 1900–05; zoo- + plankton

Example Sentences

In ocean ecosystems, microplastics interfere with natural carbon storage by affecting phytoplankton and zooplankton, organisms that are essential to carbon cycling.

From Science Daily

What zooplankton lacked in size they made up for in numbers.

From Literature

Using large nets the scientists caught zooplankton and brought the animals onboard.

From BBC

Invasive species such as the overbite clam consumed the zooplankton on which juvenile smelt had fed, toxic chemicals in farm runoff fouled the waters.

From Los Angeles Times

The researchers do not yet know how the phytoplankton and zooplankton have been affected by this.

From Science Daily