What describes plankton?

What describes plankton?

• A. Large aquatic plants
• B. Tiny organisms that drift in water, serving as a crucial part of the aquatic food web
• C. Bacteria that cause disease
• D. Particles of sediment

Answer: (B)

Plankton are tiny organisms that drift in water, carried by currents rather than swimming against them. Because they are so small and often floating, they form the base of aquatic food webs, with phytoplankton producing energy from sunlight and zooplankton feeding on those producers and passing energy up to larger aquatic animals. This drifting lifestyle and small size distinguish them from large aquatic plants. They’re not disease-causing bacteria, and they aren’t sediment particles, which are nonliving. So, plankton are the small, drifting organisms that sustain the aquatic ecosystem’s energy flow.

Plankton are tiny organisms that drift in water, carried by currents rather than swimming against them. Because they are so small and often floating, they form the base of aquatic food webs, with phytoplankton producing energy from sunlight and zooplankton feeding on those producers and passing energy up to larger aquatic animals. This drifting lifestyle and small size distinguish them from large aquatic plants. They’re not disease-causing bacteria, and they aren’t sediment particles, which are nonliving. So, plankton are the small, drifting organisms that sustain the aquatic ecosystem’s energy flow.