planktonic
Adrift in water
Planktonic describes organisms that drift in water rather than swimming against currents—the lifestyle of plankton.
In microbiology, planktonic often contrasts with biofilm: planktonic bacteria float freely in liquid, while biofilm bacteria attach to surfaces.
The planktonic phase of the organism's life cycle.
The word appears mainly in scientific contexts.
Single-celled silica algae
- copepodsMinute aquatic crustaceans
- krillSmall marine crustaceans
- cyanobacteriaPhotosynthetic bacteria producing oxygen
- larvaeImmature metamorphosing creatures
jellyfish · amphipods · flagellates · microalgae · protists
Ecosystem's feeding relationships
- grazingFeeding on pasture
- bloomFlower or flourishing state
- productivityOutput relative to input
- biomassLiving material in aggregate
chlorophyll · photosynthesis · respiration · decomposition · sedimentation · export · sequestration · eutrophication
Able to float
- passiveNot actively participating
- suspendedHalted or hanging temporarily
- currentsDirectional flows of movement
- advectionHorizontal transport by flow
dispersal · pelagic · tides · gyres · eddies · upwelling · downwelling · patchiness
Relating to the sea
- freshwaterNon-saline aquatic environment
- oceanicOf the sea
- coastalOf the shoreline
- estuarineOf river mouths
mesopelagic · polar · tropical · temperate · brackish · neritic · abyssal · arctic
One cell only
- microorganismsMicroscopic living entities
- cellularComposed of small units
- eukaryoticHaving organized nuclear membrane
- prokaryoticLacking membrane-enclosed organelles
colonial · silica · chloroplast · eyespot · cilia · flagella · vacuole · bioluminescent
diatoms
Single-celled silica algae
- copepodsMinute aquatic crustaceans
- krillSmall marine crustaceans
- cyanobacteriaPhotosynthetic bacteria producing oxygen
larvae · jellyfish · amphipods · flagellates · microalgae · protists
foodweb
Ecosystem's feeding relationships
- grazingFeeding on pasture
- bloomFlower or flourishing state
- productivityOutput relative to input
biomass · chlorophyll · photosynthesis · respiration · decomposition · sedimentation · export · sequestration · eutrophication
buoyant
Able to float
- passiveNot actively participating
- suspendedHalted or hanging temporarily
- currentsDirectional flows of movement
advection · dispersal · pelagic · tides · gyres · eddies · upwelling · downwelling · patchiness · sinking
marine
Relating to the sea
- freshwaterNon-saline aquatic environment
- oceanicOf the sea
- coastalOf the shoreline
estuarine · mesopelagic · polar · tropical · temperate · brackish · neritic · abyssal · arctic
unicellular
One cell only
- microorganismsMicroscopic living entities
- cellularComposed of small units
- eukaryoticHaving organized nuclear membrane
prokaryotic · colonial · silica · chloroplast · eyespot · cilia · flagella · vacuole · bioluminescent · transparent
- plankton bloomsMass growth of microorganisms
plankton, zooplankton, phytoplankton, microplankton, planktons