HRAP Online Encyclopedia

Plankton

“Plankton” comes from the Greek word for “drifter” or “wanderer.” The term applies to these marine organisms that spend all or part of their lives drifting with the currents. They are often microscopic but no matter their size, they are categorized by their inability to fight the currents, therefore going wherever the water takes them. There are many types of plankton grouped by how long they live in the planktonic stage, their size, and how they survive. The two biggest categories are phytoplankton (planktonic plants) and zooplankton (planktonic animals). Diatoms are a type of phytoplankton that we frequently see and deal with at Haystack Rock. Whether we see the many species of plankton in the water or not, they are critical as the base of the food web, supporting so much of life on Earth.