phytoplankton

[fahy-tuh-plangk-tuhn]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the aggregate of plants and plantlike organisms in plankton.

phytoplankton

/ ˌfaɪtəˈplæŋktən, ˌfaɪtəplæŋkˈtɒnɪk /

noun

the photosynthesizing organisms in plankton, mainly unicellular algae and cyanobacteria Compare zooplankton

phytoplankton

Plankton consisting of free-floating algae, protists, and cyanobacteria. Phytoplankton form the beginning of the food chain for aquatic animals and fix large amounts of carbon, which would otherwise be released as carbon dioxide.

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Other Word Forms

phytoplanktonic adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of phytoplankton¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; phyto- + plankton

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The DMS that cycles around our world is produced, for the most part, by marine organisms, most notably the microscopic plants known as phytoplankton that live in the nutrient-rich upper layer of the ocean.

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The amount of algae that produce toxins, also known as phytoplankton, is normally small and doesn’t pose a threat.

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"So phytoplankton use carbon to photosynthesize while things like mussels also use carbon to build their shells."

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On Earth, these gases are produced by marine phytoplankton and bacteria.

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A sign that this nutrient release has started around A23a will be when vast phytoplankton blooms blossom around the iceberg.

From

phytophthora phytoplasm

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