Zooplankton Flashcards
Can zooplankton swim well? Where do they congregate?
Most can swim but not very well, congregate near upwelling deep ocean water, converging ocean currents, clear food source.
What are the two major subgroups of zooplankton?
Holoplankton
Meroplankton
What are holoplankton?
Organisms that spend entire lives in planktonic state, extremely small, resemble phytoplankton
Why are meroplankton?
Only planktonic for a stage either settle to the bottom and live in benthic environment or grow large enough to become swimmers.
- have silica based tests and form siliceous ooze. Siliceous ooze covers large parts of ocean floor, some obtain food from. Mutualistic algae or by eating diatoms.
Radiolaria
- are a diverse group of Protozoa. Many live in ocean but can live in fresh water. Have calcite based tests and form calcareous ooze. Very common in fossil record.
Foraminifera
- are the most abundant zooplankton based on total number, have planktonic forms of both holoplanktonic and meroplanktonic, feed near surface at night then sink into deeper water at daytime.
Planktonic crustaceans
-found in both fresh water and the oceans
Copepods
-major food source of many large marine animals, prey on diatoms, concentrated near Antarctica and Alaska
Krill
-small mollusks, many have calcite shells, source of biogenous sediment, many planktonic others are benthic.
Pteropods
- are holoplanktonic, some eventually become nektonic. Examples of mega plankton
Jellyfish
T/F zooplankton can be animals or Protozoa, herbivores or carnivores.
True
