Phytoplankton
Definition
Microscopic photosynthetic organisms that live suspended in the water column. Includes diatoms plus green algae, cyanobacteria, chrysophytes, dinoflagellates, and euglenoids. The full phytoplankton assemblage is more distinctive than diatoms alone.
Related terms
- Aquatic macrophyte
- Vascular aquatic plants, including submerged, floating, and emergent species such as Elodea, Potamogeton, Phragmites, and Nymphaea. Fragments of these plants on a...
- Cyanobacteria
- Photosynthetic prokaryotic bacteria, often called blue-green algae. Form surface scums in warm, nutrient-rich water. Contain characteristic cellular structures (heterocysts, akinetes) identifiable microscopically....
- Limnological profiling
- Building a characterisation of a water body using physical, chemical, and biological measurements. Forensically, the profile is the reference against which biological...
- Limnology
- The scientific study of the biology, chemistry, and physics of inland waters (lakes, rivers, ponds, wetlands). Its reference databases of species assemblages...
- Macroalgae
- Filamentous or thalloid algae visible to the naked eye, such as Spirogyra, Cladophora, Enteromorpha, and Chaetophora. They colonise sheltered margins, shallow water,...
Explained in
- Algae, Limnology, and Aquatic Scene AnalysisMicroscopic photosynthetic organisms that live suspended in the water column. Includes diatoms plus green algae, cyanobacteria, chrysophytes, dinoflagellates,...