phytoplankton

noun

phy·to·plank·ton ˌfī-tō-ˈplaŋ(k)-tən

-ˌtän

plural phytoplankton also phytoplanktons

: minute aquatic photosynthetic organisms (such as dinoflagellates, diatoms, and cyanobacteria) : photosynthetic plankton of freshwater or marine environments

Twenty to 40 different species of phytoplankton … can coexist within a single cubic centimeter of water, all vying just for light and a handful of nutrients.—

O. Baker

Phytoplankton—myriad small, mostly unicellular algae and bacteria that occupy the surface waters of seas and lakes—dominate aquatic primary production, and over time they have radically altered Earth's atmosphere.—

Robert Riding

Phytoplankton form the foundation of marine food chains, and their seasonal blooms are responsible for more than half the photosynthesis, and the resulting production of oxygen, that occurs on Earth.—

Robin George Andrews

Antarctic krill are thumb-sized crustaceans that feast on drifting phytoplankton …—

Usha Lee McFarling

compare zooplankton

phytoplanktonic

ˌfī-tō-plaŋ(k)-ˈtä-nik

adjective

phytoplanktonic species

a phytoplanktonic bloom

Examples of phytoplankton in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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Under its Genomics at Sea Program, in partnership with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the J. Craig Venter Institute, Viking hosts researchers to analyze samples of phytoplankton from the ships’ home waters in the Great Lakes, Antarctica, and, beginning in 2025, the Arctic. —

Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Nov. 2024 From carbon dioxide removal machines, which absorb CO2 from the air, to ‘ocean fertilization’ ships that release iron into the water to stimulate the growth of carbon-sucking phytoplankton, novel climate solutions are gaining more and more traction. —

Maeve Campbell, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024 Without light, phytoplankton and other organisms are unable to perform photosynthesis. —

Devika Rao, theweek, 8 Oct. 2024 In an attempt to address this, the USGS researchers corrected for these kinds of factors when developing the algorithm, although their model becomes less accurate when unusual components are present—such as a bloom of a specific phytoplankton species or a rare kind of dark volcanic seafloor. —

Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for phytoplankton