Editing Plankton (section)

== Size groups ==
[[File:Plankton species diversity.jpg|thumb|upright=1.75| {{center|'''Plankton species diversity'''}} Diverse assemblages consist of [[unicellular]] and [[multicellular]] organisms with different sizes, shapes, feeding strategies, ecological functions, life cycle characteristics, and environmental sensitivities.<ref>Chust, G., Vogt, M., Benedetti, F., Nakov, T., Villéger, S., Aubert, A., Vallina, S.M., Righetti, D., Not, F., Biard, T. and Bittner, L.(2017) "''Mare incognitum'': A glimpse into future plankton diversity and ecology research". ''Frontiers in Marine Science'', '''4''': 68. {{doi|10.3389/fmars.2017.00068}}.</ref> {{center|<small>Courtesy of Christian Sardet/CNRS/[[Tara expedition]]s</small>}}]]

Plankton are also often described in terms of size. Usually the following divisions are used:{{hsp}}<ref>{{cite book| last = Omori | first = M.   | author2=Ikeda, T. | year=1992   | title = Methods in Marine Zooplankton Ecology   | publisher = Krieger Publishing Company   | location = Malabar, USA   | isbn = 978-0-89464-653-9}}</ref> 
::{| class="wikitable"
|width="120"| '''Group'''
|width="100"| '''Size range'''<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;([[Equivalent spherical diameter|ESD]])
|width="350"| '''Examples'''
|-
| Megaplankton     ||&gt; 20&nbsp;cm               || [[metazoan]]s; ''e.g.'' [[jellyfish]]; [[Ctenophora (phylum)|ctenophores]]; [[salp]]s and [[pyrosome]]s (pelagic [[Tunicata]]); [[Cephalopoda]]; [[Amphipoda]]
|-
| Macroplankton    || 2→20&nbsp;cm            || [[metazoans]]; ''e.g.'' [[Pteropoda]]; [[Chaetognath]]s; [[Euphausiacea]] ([[krill]]); [[Medusae]]; [[Ctenophora (phylum)|ctenophores]]; [[salp]]s, doliolids and [[pyrosome]]s (pelagic [[Tunicata]]); [[Cephalopoda]]; [[Janthina]] and [[Recluzia]] (two genera of gastropods); [[Amphipoda]]
|-
| Mesoplankton     || 0.2→20&nbsp;mm            || [[metazoan]]s; ''e.g.'' [[copepod]]s; [[Medusae]]; [[Cladocera]]; [[Ostracoda]]; [[Chaetognath]]s; [[Pteropoda]]; [[Tunicata]]
|-
| Microplankton    || 20→200 [[Micrometre|μm]] || large [[eukaryote|eukaryotic]] [[protist]]s; most [[phytoplankton]]; [[Protozoa]] [[Foraminifera]]; [[tintinnid]]s; other [[ciliate]]s; [[Rotifera]]; juvenile [[metazoan]]s – [[crustacean|Crustacea]] ([[copepod]] nauplii)
|-
| Nanoplankton     || 2→20&nbsp;μm             || small [[eukaryotic]] [[protist]]s; small [[diatom]]s; small [[flagellate]]s; [[Pyrrophyta]]; [[Chrysophyta]]; [[Chlorophyta]]; [[Xanthophyta]]
|-
| [[Picoplankton]] || 0.2→2&nbsp;μm            || small [[eukaryotic]] [[protist]]s; [[bacterium|bacteria]]; [[Chrysophyta]]
|-
| Femtoplankton    || &lt; 0.2&nbsp;μm         || [[marine virus]]es
|-
|}
   
However, some of these terms may be used with very different boundaries, especially on the larger end. The existence and importance of nano- and even smaller plankton was only discovered during the 1980s, but they are thought to make up the largest proportion of all plankton in number and diversity.

The microplankton and smaller groups are [[microorganism]]s and operate at low [[Reynolds number]]s, where the viscosity of water is more important than its mass or inertia.
<ref>{{cite book |author=Dusenbery, David B. |title=Living at micro scale: the unexpected physics of being small |publisher=Harvard University Press |location= Cambridge |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-674-03116-6 }}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" style="float:left" heights="220px">
File:Plankton size.png| {{center|'''Plankton sizes by taxonomic groups'''{{hsp}}<ref>{{cite journal |doi = 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001177|title = A Holistic Approach to Marine Eco-Systems Biology|year = 2011|last1 = Karsenti|first1 = Eric|last2 = Acinas|first2 = Silvia G.|last3 = Bork|first3 = Peer|last4 = Bowler|first4 = Chris|last5 = De Vargas|first5 = Colomban|last6 = Raes|first6 = Jeroen|last7 = Sullivan|first7 = Matthew|last8 = Arendt|first8 = Detlev|last9 = Benzoni|first9 = Francesca|last10 = Claverie|first10 = Jean-Michel|last11 = Follows|first11 = Mick|last12 = Gorsky|first12 = Gaby|last13 = Hingamp|first13 = Pascal|last14 = Iudicone|first14 = Daniele|last15 = Jaillon|first15 = Olivier|last16 = Kandels-Lewis|first16 = Stefanie|last17 = Krzic|first17 = Uros|last18 = Not|first18 = Fabrice|last19 = Ogata|first19 = Hiroyuki|last20 = Pesant|first20 = Stéphane|last21 = Reynaud|first21 = Emmanuel Georges|last22 = Sardet|first22 = Christian|last23 = Sieracki|first23 = Michael E.|last24 = Speich|first24 = Sabrina|last25 = Velayoudon|first25 = Didier|last26 = Weissenbach|first26 = Jean|last27 = Wincker|first27 = Patrick|journal = PLOS Biology|volume = 9|issue = 10|pages = e1001177|pmid = 22028628|pmc = 3196472 | doi-access=free }}</ref>}}|alt=Plankton sizes by taxonomic groups
</gallery>

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