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♤ The term ‘plankton’ refers to the group of organisms which float in the surface waters of the rivers, lakes and oceans.
♤ Includes both microscopic plants like algae (phytoplankton) and animals like crustaceans and protozoans (zooplankton) found in all aquatic ecosystems, except certain swift moving waters.
♤ The locomotory power of the planktons is limited so that their distribution is controlled, largely, by currents in the aquatic ecosystems.
♤ The growth rate, productivity and species diversity of plankton in tropical waters especially in mangrove waters are high.