Classification+of+Marine+Organisms+Jemica

Title:Classification of Marine Organisms

Explanation of Topic (Definition, Key Points, Details)

Marine organisms can be classified according to where they live and how they move. There are many different types of marine organisms. They can be classified into three groups based on mobility, and habitat.

The three groups are: Plankton, Nekton , and Benthos

== Plankton includes all organisms – algae, animals, and bacteria that drift with ocean currents. Plankton usually is refered to floaters. Among plankton, the algae that undergo photosynthesis are called phytoplankton. Animal plankton is zooplankton. Nekton includes all animals capable of moving independently of the ocean currents. Benthos describes organisms living on or on the ocean bottom. There is also bacteria plankton.==

Phytoplankton- are microscopic floating photosynthetic organisms in aquatic environments.
=== Examples of zooplankton – fish, starfish, lobsters and crabs. Other examples of zooplankton are jellyfish, corals, rotifers, and sea anemones.Moat zooplankton are considered herbivores that grave on phytoplankton. Most zooplankton can be devided into three groups: ===

Some zooplankton can awim up too 100 meters a day in a column.
=== Bacterioplankton- are bacteria and archaea which play an important role in nutrient cycles in the water column. Bacteria in the water column may be considered as a separate planktonic group which are called bacterioplankton.===

Most plankton can swim but they either move very weakly or in a column. Not all plankton are immobile.
Plankton can also be categorized by their size range : macroplankton, microplankton, nannoplankton, and picoplankton.

Some marine life go through a planktonic stage before they are free-swimming. Once they can swim on there own there considered nekton.
Visual Examples (Pictures, Graphics, Animations)

[|phytoplanktonNew.jpg]



Links to more information:

Interesting Facts or Discoveries: The name plankton is from the Greek word "planktos" meaning errant. Individual plankton is called planktors. A full glass of water from Puget Sound can contaon millions of phtoplankton.

Works Cited: [|www.eoearth.org] [|www.google.com]

life.bio.sunysb.edu/marinebio/**plankton**.html