plankto-, plankt-, -plankton

Organisms floating extremely high in the air: For his class at school, Jim read about acroplankton that were tiny lifeforms that drifted in the air and were transported by the wind.

An organism or a substance that is carried by air; aerial plankton: Aeroplankton, such as bacteria, pollen grain, etc., are suspended freely in the air and are dispersed by wind currents.

Aeroplankton is a collective name for all forms of minute or tiny organic life drifting in the air. It is also an equivalent of oceanic plankton.

A wind-borne organism that floats in the wind; aerial plankton: The anemoplankton that Greg read about in his biology book were tiny forms of life that were carried by air currents.

That which produces algal blossoms: The blooms of the freshwater or marine water anthroplankton is a swift or fast increase of the population of microscopic unicellular algae, but not macroscopic algae.

A theory that there may be living material drifting in space: Some people think that there might be microorganisms or spores floating around in space, which are called astroprlankton, and are perhaps able to start life after reaching an appropriate environment.

Planktonic organisms that undergo diurnal vertical migration, moving up towards the surface at dusk and down away from the surface at dawn: Bathyplankton live at a depth below the bathyal zone or in the greater depths of the abyssal zones.

Regarding lifeforms that only drift up towards the surface of the sea at dusk, otherwise they are below the bathyal zone: James read about bathyplanktonic organisms for his biology class at school and found out that they underwent a vertical movement towards the depth of a sea during the day, and only rising during the night.

Organisms that consist primarily of gelatinous membranes: Colaplankton are living things that gain buoyancy from gelatinous or mucous envelopes.

A colaplankton gains the physical capability of floating as a result of an enclosing mucilaginous or gelatinous layer or tissue.

A floating mass of diatoms: It was interesting to view a TV documentary about contortoplankton which consist of a gliding mass of microscopic algae that live in colonies and have cell walls of interlocking parts and valves containing silica.

Minute organisms existing in persistent snow, ice, and glacial waters: Cryoplankton, especially the algid flora, inhabit snow, ice, and the ice water of the alpine and polar areas.

A microorganism in the form of a band or ribbon: Sarah was surprised to read about desmoplankton having the shapes of broad threads and strips of fabric.

A predominance of disc diatoms: On TV there was a documentary about discoplankton in which the cells of these plankton had thin saucer-like shapes.

Tiny living organisms utilizing oil droplets for buoyancy: Elaioplankton are aided in their flotation by oil droplets or globules in their cells and allow them to float and drift by means of these fatty matters.

1. Microscopic oceanic living plants or animals that exist within the surface of a sea down to about 200 m (the epipelagic zone): In Jane's biology class, the teacher explained the characteristics of epiplankton and that they inhabited surface water down to about 100 fathoms.
2. Organisms living attached to larger pelagic organisms or to floating objects: It has been discussed that epiplankton have fastened themselves to bigger lifeforms which drift along in the water.

Relating to living things that swim in the upper surface of the water in a sea: The epiplanktonic forms of life were talked about on the TV documentary and were said to live in the topmost part of the ocean water above the 100 fathom line.