zooplankton

[US]/'zuːə(ʊ),plæŋ(k)t(ə)n/
[UK]/ˌzoə'plæŋktən/
Frequency: Very High

Translation

n. floating animals in the marine ecosystem.

Example Sentences

The metazoan zooplankton species were mainly composed of eurythermal ones and only a few thermophil ones were also found.

The zooplankton community in spring had warm-temperate offshore characteristics, and warm-temperate offshore, coastal lower saline and warm-water eurytopic characteristics in autumn.

Above, the Medusa-like arms of a northern basket star (right) seek a meal of zooplankton beside a polar alcyonarian soft coral in the shallows beneath an ice sheet in the Canadian Arctic.

Zooplankton are an important food source for many marine animals.

Scientists study the distribution of zooplankton in the ocean.

Zooplankton play a key role in marine ecosystems.

Some species of zooplankton are bioluminescent.

Zooplankton populations fluctuate with changes in ocean conditions.

Whales feed on zooplankton by filter feeding.

Zooplankton are an important link in the marine food chain.

The abundance of zooplankton can affect fish populations.

Zooplankton are often used as indicators of water quality.

Tiny fish larvae feed on zooplankton in their early stages of development.

Real-world Examples

For example, the diversity of zooplankton is immeasurable.

Source: Environment and Science

They're part of a diverse team of gelatinous zooplankton, zooplankton being animals that drift in the ocean.

Source: TED-Ed (video version)

Productive areas attract zooplankton, and that in turn attracts fish.

Source: VOA Standard October 2015 Collection

So first, you really need to appreciate how tiny zooplankton are.

Source: PBS Fun Science Popularization

Here, your light-sensitive eyes take in a buffet of small crustaceans and gelatinous zooplankton.

Source: Bilingual Edition of TED-Ed Selected Speeches

Despite their colossal size, they feed on tiny creatures such as krill and zooplankton.

Source: Scientific 60 Seconds - Scientific American March 2019 Collection

Polyps look a bit like underwater flowers, using their tentacles to catch and eat zooplankton.

Source: Children's Learning Classroom

Much of the rest is unattached algae, known as phytoplankton, and tiny animals, known as zooplankton.

Source: The Economist - Technology

In a 2017 study out of Sweden, researchers exposed a zooplankton called Daphnia magna to a bunch of plastic nanoparticles.

Source: Scishow Selected Series

Yes, the zooplankton – tiny little animals in the sea – mistake the microplastics for food and eat them.

Source: 6 Minute English

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