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Phytoplankton
(image Uwe Kils) |
Phytoplankton refers to the algal component of the
plankton that drifts in the water column. The name comes from the Greek terms, πλαγκτoν, meaning "wanderer" or "drifter", and phyton or
"plant". Phytoplankton, like other plants, obtain energy through the process of photosynthesis, and so live in the well-lit surface layer (termed the euphotic zone) of an ocean, sea, or lake. Their cumulative energy fixation in
carbon compounds (primary production) is the basis for the vast
majority of oceanic (see chemosynthesis) and some freshwater food chains. One of the most remarkable and direct food-chains is that of phytoplankton
fed on by krill fed on by certain whales.
Phytoplankton produce approximately 98% the atmospheric oxygen.
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