zooplankton

[zoh-uh-plangk-tuhn]

noun

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

zooplankton

/ ˌzəʊəˈplæŋktən /

noun

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

zooplankton

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of zooplankton¹

First recorded in 1900–05; zoo- + plankton

Example Sentences

These "unsung heroes" called zooplankton gorge themselves and grow fat in spring before sinking hundreds of metres into the deep ocean in Antarctica where they burn the fat.

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

North Pacific right whales are baleen whales, which feed by straining huge volumes of ocean water through their comb-like baleen plates that trap copepods and other zooplankton.

From Seattle Times

When urchin numbers rise, the spiky marine invertebrates can devour kelp forests that are a critical habitat for zooplankton, the tiny aquatic organisms that are the primary prey of many marine animals.

From Science Daily