ABSTRACT
The oceans are a habitat for various forms of life, ranging from the largest organisms anywhere on Earth to the smallest. The fauna includes various vertebrates (mammals, birds, reptiles, and sh) as well as a wide range of invertebrates. The flora includes the algae-from the macroscopic kelps to the small unicellular forms. The plankton includes the oating biota. The phytoplankton is dened as biota that utilize photosynthesis and includes free-oating algae such as diatoms and dinoagellates as well as the cyanobacteria. Zooplankton includes the free-oating microscopic protozoa
and invertebrates. The bacterioplankton consists of free, unattached bacterial and archaeal forms.
