plankton
Whale's tiny food
Plankton are the tiny organisms—plants, animals, and bacteria—that drift in bodies of water, unable to swim against currents.
They form the base of aquatic food chains.
Phytoplankton are plant-like and photosynthetic; zooplankton are animal-like and feed on other organisms.
The whale shark filters plankton from seawater.
Small marine crustaceans
- copepodsMinute aquatic crustaceans
- larvaeImmature metamorphosing creatures
- filter feedingExtracting nutrients from water
- baleen whalesBristle-mouthed marine mammals
fish fry · anchovies · herring · manta rays · whale sharks · jellyfish · food chain · grazers
Minute aquatic crustaceans
Single-celled silica algae
- cyanobacteriaPhotosynthetic bacteria producing oxygen
- algaePrimitive aquatic photosynthesizers
- chlorophyllLight-harvesting plant pigment
- photosynthesisLight-to-sugar conversion in plants
silica · bloom · green · sunlight · nutrients · nitrogen · phosphorus
Large inland water bodies
- pondsSmall freshwater bodies
- riversFlowing bodies of water
- reservoirsBodies storing water supply
- eutrophicationExcess nutrients depleting oxygen
thermocline · algal bloom · cyanobacteria · daphnia · water fleas · limnology · chlorophyll · turbidity
Staying atop liquid
- currentsDirectional flows of movement
- suspendedHalted or hanging temporarily
- passiveNot actively participating
- tidesPeriodic sea-level changes
gyres · surface · water column · dispersal · migration · upwelling · downwelling · circulation
Massive saltwater body
- seaSaltwater body, not ocean
- pelagicOf the open sea
- upwellingDeep water rising surfaceward
- currentsDirectional flows of movement
tides · salinity · continental shelf · open water · coastal · tropical · polar · temperate
Steady, soft light
- luminescenceHeatless light emission
- phosphorescenceHeatless delayed light emission
- light-emittingProducing visible radiation
- shimmerTremulous, wavering light
radiance · sparkle · blue glow · red tide · algal bloom · nighttime · ocean surface · warm waters
Microscopic living entity
- single-celledConsisting of one cell
- tinyExtremely small in size
- invisibleCannot be seen
- microscopeInstrument for viewing minute objects
microbe · protist · flagellate · ciliate · cell · colony · sampling · petri dish
krill
Small marine crustaceans
- copepodsMinute aquatic crustaceans
- larvaeImmature metamorphosing creatures
- filter feedingExtracting nutrients from water
baleen whales · fish fry · anchovies · herring · manta rays · whale sharks · jellyfish · food chain · grazers · predation
copepods
Minute aquatic crustaceans
- krillSmall marine crustaceans
- jellyfishDrifting marine stinger
- larvaeImmature metamorphosing creatures
amphipods · nauplii · grazing · heterotroph
diatoms
Single-celled silica algae
- cyanobacteriaPhotosynthetic bacteria producing oxygen
- algaePrimitive aquatic photosynthesizers
- chlorophyllLight-harvesting plant pigment
photosynthesis · silica · bloom · green · sunlight · nutrients · nitrogen · phosphorus
lakes
Large inland water bodies
- pondsSmall freshwater bodies
- riversFlowing bodies of water
- reservoirsBodies storing water supply
eutrophication · thermocline · algal bloom · cyanobacteria · daphnia · water fleas · limnology · chlorophyll · turbidity · seasonal turnover
floating
Staying atop liquid
- currentsDirectional flows of movement
- suspendedHalted or hanging temporarily
- passiveNot actively participating
tides · gyres · surface · water column · dispersal · migration · upwelling · downwelling · circulation · pelagic
ocean
Massive saltwater body
currents · tides · salinity · continental shelf · open water · coastal · tropical · polar · temperate · oceanography
glow
Steady, soft light
- luminescenceHeatless light emission
- phosphorescenceHeatless delayed light emission
- light-emittingProducing visible radiation
shimmer · radiance · sparkle · blue glow · red tide · algal bloom · nighttime · ocean surface · warm waters
microorganism
Microscopic living entity
- single-celledConsisting of one cell
- tinyExtremely small in size
- invisibleCannot be seen
microscope · microbe · protist · flagellate · ciliate · cell · colony · sampling · petri dish · slide
- life formsorganisms, organism, lifeforms, animal, creatures
- Mediterranean Seabluefin tuna, sardines, anchovies, sea bass, grouper
- ocean resourcesfish stocks, seafood, fisheries, shellfish, kelp
- marine ecologyhabitat, kelp forest, coral reef, tide pool, estuary
- ocean scienceoceanography, marine biology, marine ecosystems, marine science, marine research
- Arctic Marine Lifepolar bear, walrus, narwhal, beluga, beluga whale
planktonblue whale
Largest mammal on Earth
whale · megafauna · giant squid · whale shark · whales
planktonapex predator
Unpreyed-upon dominant hunter
great white shark · killer whale · orca · tiger shark · blue whale
- plankton bloomsMass growth of microorganisms