See Also: plankton(medicine)
plankton(dictionary)
plankton(encyclopedia)
plankton(dictionary)

plankton (iou)



plankton noun. L19.
[German, from Greek plagkton neut. of plagktos wandering, drifting, from base of plazein: see PLANET noun1.]
collect. Floating or drifting organisms, esp. very small ones, found at various depths in the ocean and fresh water, and (more fully aerial plankton) in the atmosphere. Cf. NEKTON.
microplankton, phytoplankton, zooplankton, etc.
Comb.: plankton feeder an animal whose diet includes plankton; plankton indicator an apparatus including a filter that is towed behind a ship to allow estimation of plankton density; plankton net a very fine net used to collect samples of plankton or other very small organisms; plankton recorder a modified type of plankton indicator in which the filter is in the form of a continuously moving roll.
planktono'logical adjective = PLANKTOLOGICAL M20.
plankto'nology noun = PLANKTOLOGY L19.
planktotrophic adjective (Ecology) feeding on plankton M20.