Dictionary > Bacterioplankton

Bacterioplankton

Definition
noun
The bacterial component of plankton of aquatic ecosystems
Supplement
Plankton pertain to the small organisms that drift, float, or weakly swimming in aquatic habitats. Some of them may be capable of diel vertical migration but they, in general, flow with their surrounding currents. They may be classified according to their trophic level groups: (1) phytoplankton, (2) zooplankton, (3) bacterioplankton, and (4) mycoplankton.
Bacterioplankton are the bacterial component of the plankton. They are comprised of prokaryotes. Some of them serve as primary producers and others as primary consumers in aquatic ecosystems (e.g. marine and freshwater ecosystems). Primary producer bacterioplankton are those that are capable of photosynthesis, e.g. blue-green algae (cyanophyta). It should be noted though that cyanophyta are also referred to as phytoplankton since they are also regarded as one of the photosynthetic algal groups. However, they are the only algal group that is prokaryotic and therefore are also considered as bacteria. Bacterioplankton are ecologically essential since they are involved in the remineralization processes of organic material. They drive global biogeochemical cycling of elements (e.g. carbon fixation, nitrogen fixation, denitrification, nitrification, etc.). Many of them are saprotrophic as they obtain energy from organic material they consume.
Word origin: bacterio– (of bacteria) + planktón, (planktós (“wandering”)
See also:


You will also like...

IQ, Creativity and Learning
IQ, Creativity and Learning

Human intelligence provided the means to utilize abstract ideas and implement reasoning. This tutorial takes a further l..

Human gastrointestinal tract
Human Biology – Food and Digestion

This tutorial recognizes the importance of food as a source of energy that will fuel many biological processes. A good d..

primitive arthropods
Arthropods

The arthropods were assumed to be the first taxon of species to possess jointed limbs and exoskeleton, exhibit more adva..

A sperm cell fertilizing an ovum
Human Reproduction and Fertilization

For human species to obviate extinction, reproductive mature adults should be producing viable offspring in order to con..

Schematic diagram of DNA replication
DNA Structure & DNA Replication

DNA is a double helix structure comprised of nucleotides. A nucleotide, in turn, is made up of phosphate molecule, deoxy..

Homeostatic Mechanisms and Cellular Communication
Homeostatic Mechanisms and Cellular Communication

Homeostasis is the relatively stable conditions of the internal environment that result from compensatory regulatory res..

Related Articles...

No related articles found

See all Related Topics