zooplankton

noun

zoo·​plank·​ton ˌzō-ə-ˈplaŋ(k)-tən How to pronounce zooplankton (audio)
-ˌtän
plural zooplankton also zooplanktons
: freely floating or weakly swimming typically minute aquatic protozoans and animals (such as copepods, rotifers, and arrow worms) or the eggs or larvae of aquatic animals (such as anemones, mollusks, and fish) : plankton composed of animals
… numerous varieties of adult gamefish depend on zooplankton for a substantial portion of their diets throughout their lives.Byron W. Dalrymple
Phytoplankton exhale life-giving oxygen and are consumed as food by zooplankton and small fish, which, in turn, are eaten by larger fish.Kenneth R. Weiss
Right whales eat zooplankton, which are tiny creatures that float along in the water column, by straining huge amounts of sea water through their baleen.Wendall Waters
compare phytoplankton
zooplanktonic adjective
zooplanktonic organisms

Examples of zooplankton in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The team hypothesized that the zooplankton might play a role in clearing up dirty water. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 3 Oct. 2024 The large particles–including the zooplankton–didn’t appear to have a significant effect on the inactivation of the MS2 and E.coli pathogen proxies in the water. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 3 Oct. 2024 In a 2009 experiment in the southwest Atlantic Ocean by German and Indian scientists, larger zooplankton ate the smaller phytoplankton—and little carbon actually reached the deep sea. Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 12 Sep. 2024 Rockfish larvae feed on zooplankton known as copepods. Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 16 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for zooplankton 

Word History

Etymology

zoo- + plankton

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of zooplankton was in 1897

Dictionary Entries Near zooplankton

Cite this Entry

“Zooplankton.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zooplankton. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

zooplankton

noun
zoo·​plank·​ton ˌzō-ə-ˈplaŋ(k)-tən How to pronounce zooplankton (audio)
-ˌtän
: plankton that is composed of animals

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