What does plankton eat?

Plankton isn't a species, it's a term denoting the entire group of organisms that drift in the water column. These range from microscopic algae to fish larvae to salp colonies 10 meters long. These are microscopic radiolarians. read more

Phytoplankton are on the bottom of the food chain so their nourishment and population growth are essential to other creatures from the small fish that eat them, to larger fish and eventually, humans.If phytoplankton cannot survive, they cannot support the other fish that eat the phytoplankton and they too die. read more

For instance, a jellyfish can eat plankton, fish eggs, small fish or even other jellyfish. Many zooplankton consume their food by enveloping it and slowly digesting it. The final group of plankton works in the same way land bacteria does. read more

The smallest of the plankton can eat bacteria and detritus, but the largest of the plankton are true predators. These kind of plankton are called zooplankton, because they are animals. Phytoplankton eat small bacteria, which eat decomposing matter. They are in the blue whale's food chain. read more