Zooplankton

Question 1

What is the importance of nanozooplankton?

Answer 1

Consume bacteria and nanophytoplankton

Preyed on by larger zooplankton

Question 2

What are foraminifera?

Answer 2

Large protist zooplankton with calcareous perforated shells

Question 3

What are radiolarians?

Answer 3

Large protist zooplankton that are amoeboid protozoans and a central silica capsule

Question 4

What are copepods?

Answer 4

70-90% of the biomass of all zooplankton
Few mm in length
Use sensory hairs to detect prey

Question 5

What are krill?

Answer 5

Related to shrimp
Belong to the family - Euphausidae
Keystone species that converts phytoplankton into bite sized food

Question 6

What are jelly fish?

Answer 6

Carnivorous - capture prey with stinging cells
Can be active swimmers
2mm - 2m
200+ species

Question 7

Portuguese Man-o-war

Answer 7

Not a true jelly fish
Colony of polyps/medusa
Float blown by wind and carried by currents

Question 8

What are salps?

Answer 8

Free floating
Alternation of generations
Respond rapidly to prey patches

Question 9

What are zooplankton worms?

Answer 9

Free swimming
Predators of zooplankton
Few cm in length

Question 10

What are meroplankton

Answer 10

Spend only part of the lifecycle as plankton

70% of benthic species - larval