meroplankton Hear it!

meroplankton definition

mero·plank·ton (mer′ō plaŋk′tən)

noun

an organism that spends only a part of its life cycle as a member of the plankton community (e.g., the barnacle or starfish, in which only the larval stages are planktonic)

Etymology: < Gr meros, part (see merit) + plankton

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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