Are zooplankton omnivores, carnivores, or herbivores?

Animal plankton are called zooplankton. Zooplankton can move on their own, but their movement is overpowered by currents. Zooplankton may be herbivores or plant-eaters (eat phytoplankton), carnivores or meat eaters (eat other zooplankton) or omnivores, which eat both plants and animals (eat phytoplankton and zooplankton).

Zooplankton is the common name given to many small species of animals found in fresh and marine waters throughout the world. The word zooplankton, derived from Greek, means "wandering animals." They float in the water column and drift with the currents.

Most of these animals are so minute they are visible only with a microscope, although some species can reach lengths of eight feet. Two general groups of zooplankton exist: those that remain planktonic throughout their entire life (holoplankton), and those that are larval stages of larger life forms (meroplankton).

Animals of all sorts live together in various ecosystems. Within these natural communities, the animals eat specific diets that connect them together in a food chain.

Check out the differences and roles of carnivores, omnivores, and herbivores in the Food Chain at Oxonhilldentistry.com.

Tags: zooplanktoncarnivores 
Tuesday, September 26 2017
Source: http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/lessons/lessons/by-broad-concept/life-science/food-chains-and-webs/