Plankton Deep Dive
Explore the microscopic world of plankton, their types, importance in marine ecosystems, and their role in the food web for 7th-grade science.
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Plankton Deep Dive
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Read each question carefully and answer to the best of your ability. Use complete sentences for short answer questions.
Plankton are tiny organisms that float in the water, unable to swim against currents. They form the base of most oceanic food webs and are essential for life on Earth. There are two main types: phytoplankton (plant-like) and zooplankton (animal-like).
1. What is the primary characteristic that defines plankton?
They are large marine mammals.
They can swim against ocean currents.
They drift in water and cannot swim against currents.
They live only on the ocean floor.
2. Which type of plankton is plant-like and performs photosynthesis?
Zooplankton
Phytoplankton
Benthos
Nekton
3. Plankton are vital for marine ecosystems because they form the of the oceanic food web.
4. Zooplankton are organisms that feed on phytoplankton and other zooplankton.
5. All plankton are microscopic and cannot be seen with the naked eye.
True
False
6. Phytoplankton produce a significant portion of the Earth's oxygen.
True
False
7. Explain the difference between phytoplankton and zooplankton.
8. Describe why plankton are considered the 'lungs of the Earth'.
Use the words below to complete the sentences.
9. Plankton are organisms that drift in water, unable to swim against .
10. Phytoplankton perform , a process that produces much of the Earth's .