ABSTRACT
Plankton (Greek “wandering”) are free-floating organisms, classified as microalgae, comprising about 5,000 species, including diatoms, cyanobacteria and dinofl agellates. Photosynthesizing plankton, primarily unicellular algae and cyanobacteria, are known as phytoplankton, while non-photosynthesizing plankton such as protozoans are called zooplankton. Phytoplankton growth depends on the availability of carbon dioxide, sunlight, nutrients and other factors such as water temperature and salinity. Fish, whales, dolphins, crabs, seabirds, and other aquatic creatures feed on phytoplankton, which is recognized as the base of the food web (Lindsey and Scott 2010).
