phytoplankton

Everyday

Phytoplankton are tiny living things, mostly too small to see, that float near the surface of seas and lakes and make their own food from sunlight, like plants do. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons on food chains and the ocean, phytoplankton are producers: they are eaten by zooplankton, which are eaten by fish, and so on up to whales. They make a large part of the oxygen we breathe, perhaps about half. Satellites can see big green «blooms» of phytoplankton from space. Common phrases: «phytoplankton bloom», «marine phytoplankton», «phytoplankton and zooplankton».

Examples

• Phytoplankton float near the surface of the sea. tree →
• Phytoplankton use sunlight to make food, just like plants. tree →
• Tiny animals called zooplankton eat phytoplankton. tree →
• Ocean phytoplankton make about half of the Earth's oxygen. tree →
• A phytoplankton bloom turned the sea green. tree →
• Krill feed on phytoplankton, and whales eat krill. tree →
• Without phytoplankton, ocean food chains would collapse. tree →

Note

Usually used like a plural or uncountable noun («phytoplankton are» or «phytoplankton is»). Say FIE-toe-PLANK-ton. «Phyto-» means plant; «zoo-» means animal; «plankton» means drifting. Trap: many phytoplankton are not true plants, but they live like plants.