Marine Zooplankton

Question 1

What are the two groups of Zooplankton?

Answer 1

Holoplankton & meroplankton.

Question 2

What are holoplankton?

Answer 2

• Type of zooplankton

- ‘entirely drifters’.

Question 3

What are meroplankton?

Answer 3

• Type of zooplankton

- ‘partly drifters’.

Question 4

What are pleuston?

Answer 4

Organisms which live at the water-air interface e.g. cyanobacteria.

Question 5

What are neuston?

Answer 5

Organisms which live on or right below the surface of the water e.g. whirligig beetles.

Question 6

Define tychopelagic.

Answer 6

A reference to organisms (tiny creatures) that are normally existing in the benthic (bottom), but which have been carried up into the liquid column by chance factors.

Question 7

What is the size range of nanoplankton?

Answer 7

2 - 20um.

Question 8

What is the size range or microplankton?

Answer 8

20 - 200um.

Question 9

What is the size range of mesoplankton?

Answer 9

0.2 - 20mm.

Question 10

What is the size range of macroplankton?

Answer 10

2 - 20cm.

Question 11

What is megaplankton?

Answer 11

Over 20cm.

Question 12

Describe a WP-2 net.

Answer 12

• Deployed vertically
• Monofilament nylon mesh, typically 200um
• Can be ‘throttled’.

Question 13

Describe a CalCOFI net ‘ring trawl’.

Answer 13

• Larger 1m diameter
• Towed horiontally
• Mesh typically 500 - 1000um.

Question 14

What is MOCNESS?

Answer 14

Multiple Opening & Closing Net & Environmental Sensing System.

Question 15

How can plankton be detected?

Answer 15

• Plankton pumps
• High frequency echosounders
• Video systems.