zooplankton

[ zoh-uh-plangk-tuhn ]

noun

1. the aggregate of animal or animallike organisms in plankton, as protozoans.

zooplankton

/ ˌzəʊəˈplæŋktən /

noun

1. See phytoplankton
   the animal constituent of plankton, which consists mainly of small crustaceans and fish larvae Compare phytoplankton

zooplankton

/ zō′ə-plăngk′tən /

1. Plankton that consists of tiny animals, such as rotifers, copepods, and krill, and of microorganisms once classified as animals, such as dinoflagellates and other protozoans.

Word History and Origins

Origin of zooplankton¹

First recorded in 1900–05; zoo- + plankton

Example Sentences

It’s so large, he notes, that whale sharks and the zooplankton that they also eat seem to occupy similar rungs on the marine food chain, both just one rung above the phytoplankton they both feast upon.

From Science News

Millions of salmon travelled up to 60 miles a day, fending off predators and feeding on zooplankton and small fish.

From Time

Like other tiny zooplankton, copepods use light as a cue to plunge en masse to the dark deep, seeking safety from surface predators.

From Science News For Students

They are food for the zooplankton, which are food for the krill, the fish and the whales.

From Time

We could soon see the loss of zooplankton and small fish crucial to our seafood supply, a subject that Washington-based researcher Sonya Dyhrman has explored while showing how vulnerable our food chain is to climate change.

From Ozy