Microzooplankton

Microzooplankton

Microzooplankton are defined as heterotrophic and mixotrophic plankton. They primarily consist of phagotrophicprotists, including ciliates, dinoflagellates, and mesozooplanktonnauplii. Microzooplankton are major grazers of the plankton community. As the primary consumers of marine phytoplankton, microzooplankton consume ~ 59–75% daily of the marine primary production, much larger than mesozooplankton. That said, macrozooplankton can sometimes have greater consumption rates in eutrophic ecosystems because the larger phytoplankton can be dominant there. Microzooplankton are also pivotal regenerators of nutrients which fuel primary production and food sources for metazoans.