The word plankton comes from the Greek word meaning “wandering”. Refers to the diverse group of plants and animals that spend part or all of their life cycle adrift in the waters of oceans or freshwater lakes. Plankton is abundant and important in the marine environment. The majority of terrestrial biomass, the mass of living organisms, is made up of plankton drifting in the oceans. Ninety-eight percent of marine species live on the bottom, but the vast majority of ocean biomass is planktonic. Many of these organisms are capable of movement, but are generally unable to move independently of currents and waves. This lack of swimming ability separates plankton from nekton, which include organisms that can control their movements in water. Some planktonic organisms can be quite large, but plankton are generally smaller than nekton. Plankton can be classified based on their feeding style. Phytoplankton are a very important part of ocean life. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is in balance with carbon dioxide in the ocean. During photosynthesis, phyto...