What are similarities and differences between phytoplankton and zooplankton?

What are similarities and differences between phytoplankton and zooplankton?

The most significant difference between zooplankton and phytoplankton is that zooplankton are protozoans and animals, whereas phytoplankton are photosynthetic organisms, including algae (protists), blue-green algae or cyanobacteria (bacteria), and organisms such as dinoflagellates, which do not fit neatly into a single …

Are zooplankton and phytoplankton the same?

There are two main types of plankton: phytoplankton, which are plants, and zooplankton, which are animals. Zooplankton and other small marine creatures eat phytoplankton and then become food for fish, crustaceans, and other larger species.

What is the difference between phytoplankton and plankton?

Plankton includes plants and animals that float along at the mercy of the sea’s tides and currents. Their name comes from the Greek meaning “drifter” or “wanderer.” There are two types of plankton: tiny plants–called phytoplankton, and weak-swimming animals–called zooplankton.

How are phytoplankton similar to trees?

Like land plants, phytoplankton have chlorophyll to capture sunlight, and they use photosynthesis to turn it into chemical energy. They consume carbon dioxide, and release oxygen. All phytoplankton photosynthesize, but some get additional energy by consuming other organisms.

How does phytoplankton affect zooplankton?

Because many zooplankton species eat phytoplankton, shifts in timing or abundance of phytoplankton can quickly affect zooplankton populations, which then affects species along the food chain.

How do phytoplankton and zooplankton affect each other’s population sizes?

Zooplankton abundance increased with increasing phytoplankton biovolume, but at biovolumes exceeding | 3 mm3/L, only minimal increases in zooplankton abundance were observed (Figure 5). Mean individual zooplankton biomass decreased weakly with increasing phytoplankton biovolume.

Are phytoplankton and plankton the same thing?

The two main categories of plankton are zooplankton and phytoplankton. Although they are similar in size, inhabit the same bodies of water and are both essential to the marine ecosystem, the two types of organisms each have their own defining characteristics.

What are facts about phytoplankton?

Phytoplankton are microscopic marine algae. In a balanced ecosystem, phytoplankton provide food for a wide range of sea creatures including whales, shrimp, snails, and jellyfish . When too many nutrients are available, phytoplankton may grow out of control and form harmful algal blooms (HABs).

What are some examples of phytoplankton and zooplankton?

Difference Between Phytoplankton and Zooplankton Definition. Phytoplankton: Phytoplanktons are plant-like aquatic microorganisms. Examples. Phytoplankton: Diatoms, dinoflagellates, blue-green algae, and cyanobacteria are examples of phytoplankton. Morphology. Phytoplankton: Phytoplanktons are brown in color. Found in. Nutritional Mode. Feeding. In Aquatic Food Chains. Release of Oxygen. Conclusion.

What zooplankton is considered a keystone species?

Keystone species. The keystone species in the North in the patch is plankton, both phtyo and zoo. Phytoplankton act like plants, only needing sunlight to survive. Zooplankton are more animal like, needing to eat phytoplankton, and small fish eggs to survive. Since there is so much of a trash buildup, the plankton are dying off in drastic amounts.