Marine Biology

Zooplankton

 

Zooplankton comprise many microscopic and macroscopic animals represented by almost all the major taxa of the Kingdom Animalia. The zooplankton are ubiquitous. They eat other smaller sized zooplankton as well as phytoplankton. Almost all zooplankton are invertebrates , however some  belong to the vertebrate groups ( e.g. salps) .Zooplankton include both unicellular ( protozoans) and multicellular forms.  

Zooplankton play an important role in the aquatic food web, having the potential to affect water transparency, levels of suspended algae (phytoplankton),and the fishery. Many economically important fish depend on a diet of zooplankton during some stages in their life cycle. Some of the zooplankton species include those of copepods and  krills. The krills (Euphausiids)  are serving as an indicator organism for the presence of baleen whales in the polar waters.