filter-feeders
Aquatic particle collectors
Filter-feeders are animals that obtain food by straining particles from water.
Baleen whales, clams, and flamingos are filter-feeders—they pass water through specialized structures that trap plankton, algae, or small organisms while letting water flow through.
The oyster beds act as natural filter-feeders, cleaning the bay's water.
Bristle-mouthed marine mammals
- whale sharksBiggest fish species
- musselsEdible marine bivalves
- oystersEdible marine mollusks
- clamsEdible burrowing mollusks
sponges · bivalves · flamingos · manta rays · basking sharks · anchovies · herring · barnacles
Whale's filtering bristles
Drifting marine microlife
- phytoplanktonPhotosynthetic aquatic drifters
- zooplanktonDrifting aquatic microorganisms
- detritusLoose waste from decay
- particulate matterFine airborne solid fragments
algae · bacteria · diatoms · larvae · microorganisms · protists · cyanobacteria
Shellfish cultivation zones
- maricultureCultivating ocean organisms commercially
- raftsFlat buoyant watercraft
- longlinesExtended waiting formations
- harvestGathering mature crops
Purification through living organisms
- bioaccumulationPollutant concentration in tissues
- carbon sequestrationRemoving and storing atmospheric CO2
- water qualityCondition of H2O supply
- biomagnificationToxins accumulating through food chains
baleen whales
Bristle-mouthed marine mammals
- whale sharksBiggest fish species
- musselsEdible marine bivalves
- oystersEdible marine mollusks
clams · sponges · bivalves · flamingos · manta rays · basking sharks · anchovies · herring · barnacles · sea squirts
baleen
Whale's filtering bristles
plankton
Drifting marine microlife
- phytoplanktonPhotosynthetic aquatic drifters
- zooplanktonDrifting aquatic microorganisms
- detritusLoose waste from decay
particulate matter · algae · bacteria · diatoms · larvae · microorganisms · protists · cyanobacteria
oyster beds
Shellfish cultivation zones
- maricultureCultivating ocean organisms commercially
- raftsFlat buoyant watercraft
- longlinesExtended waiting formations
harvest · depuration · seed stock · hatchery
biofiltration
Purification through living organisms
- bioaccumulationPollutant concentration in tissues
- carbon sequestrationRemoving and storing atmospheric CO2
- water qualityCondition of H2O supply
filter-feedersambush predators
Creatures that attack unexpectedly
predators · hunters · apex predators · raptors · stalkers
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