Editing Plankton (section)

== Terminology ==
[[File:Neuston, Plankton, Nekton, Benthos.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3| {{center|Plankton (organisms that drift with water currents) can be contrasted with  [[nekton]] (organisms that swim against water currents), [[neuston]] (organisms that live at the ocean surface) and [[benthos]] (organisms that live at the ocean floor).}}]]

The name ''plankton'' was coined by German marine biologist [[Victor Hensen]] in 1887 from shortening the word ''halyplankton'' from [[Greek language|Greek]] {{lang|grc|ᾰ̔́λς}} ''háls'' "sea" and {{lang|grc|πλανάω}} ''planáō'' to  "drift" or "wander".<ref>{{cite journal |last=Hansen |first=Victor |year=1887 |title=Uber die Bestimmung des Plankton's oder des im Meere treibenden Materials an Pflanzen und Thieren |trans-title=On the determination of the plankton or the material floating in the sea on plants and animals |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/108760#page/17/mode/1up |language=de |journal=Fünfter Bericht der Kommission zur Wissenschaftlichen Untersuchung der Deutschen Meere |volume=12 |issue=12–16 |location=Berlin, Germany |publisher=Paul Parey |page=1–108 |via=Biodiversity Heritage Library}}</ref>{{rp|1}} While some forms are capable of independent movement and can swim hundreds of meters vertically in a single day (a behavior called [[diel vertical migration]]), their horizontal position is primarily determined by the surrounding water movement, and plankton typically flow with [[ocean current]]s. This is in contrast to [[nekton]] organisms, such as [[fish]], [[squid]] and [[marine mammal]]s, which can swim against the ambient flow and control their position in the environment.

Within the plankton, [[holoplankton]] spend their entire [[biological life cycle|life cycle]] as plankton (e.g. most [[algae]], [[copepod]]s, [[salp]]s, and some [[jellyfish]]). By contrast, [[meroplankton]] are only planktic for part of their lives (usually the [[larva]]l stage), and then graduate to either a nektic (swimming) or [[benthos|benthic]] (sea floor) existence. Examples of meroplankton include the larvae of [[sea urchin]]s, [[starfish]], [[crustacean]]s, marine [[worm]]s, and most [[fish]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Karleskint |first1=George |last2=Turner |first2=Richard |last3=Small |first3=James |date=2013 |chapter= 17: The Open Sea |title=Introduction to Marine Biology |edition=4th |publisher= Brooks/Cole |pages=442–443 |isbn=978-1-133-36446-7}}</ref>

The [[abundance (ecology)|amount]] and [[species distribution|distribution]] of plankton depends on available nutrients, the [[water column|state of water]] and a large amount of other plankton.<ref name="Book-2013">{{cite book |last1=Agrawai |first1=Anju |last2=Gopnal |first2=Krishna |title= Biomonitoring of Water and Waste Water |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Cf4_AAAAQBAJ&q=Plankton+abundance+and+distribution+are+strongly+dependent+on+factors+such+as+ambient+nutrient+concentrations,+the+physical+state+of+the+water+column,+and+the+abundance+of+other+plankton.&pg=PA34 |date=2013 |publisher=Springer India |page=34 |isbn=978-8-132-20864-8 |access-date= 2 April 2018 }}</ref>

The study of plankton is termed [[planktology]] and a planktonic individual is referred to as a plankter.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/463117/plankter |title= Plankter – marine biology |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref> The adjective ''planktonic'' is widely used in both the scientific and popular literature, and is a generally accepted term. However, from the standpoint of prescriptive grammar, the less-commonly used ''planktic'' is more strictly the correct adjective. When deriving English words from their Greek or Latin roots, the gender-specific ending (in this case, "-on" which indicates the word is neuter) is normally dropped, using only the root of the word in the derivation.<ref name="Emiliani, C.">{{cite journal |last=Emiliani |first=C. |year=1991 |title=Planktic/Planktonic, Nektic/Nektonic, Benthic/Benthonic |journal= Journal of Paleontology |volume=65 |pages= 329 |jstor=1305769 |issue=2 |doi=10.1017/S0022336000020576 |bibcode=1991JPal...65..329E |s2cid=131283465 }}</ref>

<gallery mode=packed style=float:left heights=160px>
File:Diatoms through the microscope.jpg|Some marine [[diatom]]s — a key [[phytoplankton]] group
File:hyperia.jpg | The [[amphipoda|amphipod]] ''[[Hyperia macrocephala]]'' – part of the [[zooplankton]]
</gallery>
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