Phytoplankton - Definition, Glossary, Details - Oilgae
Small, usually microscopic plants (such as algae), found in lakes, reservoirs, and other bodies of water - Source
The component of plankton consisting of microscopic plants - Source
Microscopic floating plants, mainly algae, that live suspended in bodies of water and that drift about because they cannot move by themselves or because they are too small or too weak to swim effectively against a current - Source
Phytoplankton live near the surface of the ocean because they need sunlight like all green plants. They also need water and nutrients to live. Phytoplankton use water and CO2 to grow, but phytoplankton still need other vitamins and minerals, like iron to survive. Phytoplankton are at the base of the food chain. So, when the population of phytoplankton is reduced almost the entire food chain is effected. Source
Microalgae or microscopic algae were amongst the first life forms on our planet. Among them, some unicellular organisms are particularly tiny and form the picophytoplankton group. The term phytoplankton comes from the Greek words “phyton” meaning plant and “plagktos” meaning wandering, because these organisms are taken along marine currents. The prefix "pico" probably comes from a Spanish word and means "tiny". The picophytoplankton is constituted of both evolved organisms, called "eukaryotes", which have well-defined nuclei and organelles (such as mitochondria or plastids) and of more primitive organisms, called "prokaryotes", in which the cell components (DNA, ribosomes, membranes, etc.) are not separated into defined compartments. There are three principal eukaryotic phytoplankton groups that came to dominate the modern seas: dinoflagellates, coccolithophores and diatoms: source
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Phytoplankton: Phytoplankton when present in high enough numbers, they may appear as a green discoloration of the water due to the presence of chlorophyll within their cells (although the actual color may vary with the species of phytoplankton present due to varying levels of chlorophyll or the presence of accessory pigments such as phycobiliproteins, xanthophylls, etc.).
Phytoplankton: Plants of the Sea: The plant portion of this complex oceanic soup is called phytoplankton. The term phyto comes from the Latin phyton meaning tree or plant. This large grouping is composed mostly of single-celled algae and bacteria.
Marine Phytoplankton contains high levels of antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory micronutrients to fuel metabolism and detoxification. Also, they stoke the fires of the Mitochondria, where cells make energy required to carry out their function. Through the process photosynthesis, marine phytoplankton harness life-sustaining solar energy. Link
