Unit 2: Ocean Life Vocabulary

Photosynthetic organisms found near the surface of the ocean that produce 50% of the Earth's oxygen

• Phytoplankton
• benthos
• nekton
• heterotroph
• euryhaline

Organisms living on or near the ocean floor

• benthos
• nekton
• plankton
• autotroph
• stenohaline

All organisms that swim actively in open water, independent of currents

• benthos
• nekton
• plankton
• Phytoplankton
• Zooplankton

An organism that makes its own food

• autotroph
• benthos
• nekton
• plankton
• heterotroph

Those organisms that can tolerate SMALL salinity changes, but nothing substantial

• nekton
• plankton
• autotroph
• stenohaline
• euryhaline

Tiny organisms that float in the water, they can be plants or animals

• benthos
• nekton
• plankton
• autotroph
• heterotroph

Type of organism that obtains energy from the foods it consumes; also called a consumer

• heterotroph
• nekton
• plankton
• autotroph
• stenohaline

Type of organism that can tolerate a wide range of salinities

• euryhaline
• nekton
• plankton
• autotroph
• heterotroph

The small free-floating animals that form part of plankton

• stenohaline
• euryhaline
• Phytoplankton
• Zooplankton

Area of ocean that extends from the low-tide line out to the edge of the continental shelf

• Neritic Zone
• Benthic Zone
• Littoral Zone
• Hadal Zone