Microscopic, free-floating, autotrophic organisms that function as producers in aquatic ecosystems
phytoplankton
Plants use the sun’s energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into sugars
photosynthesis
An organism that makes its own food
Autotroph
A unicellular photosynthetic alga with a unique glassy cell wall containing silica
diatoms
-unicellular algae, red tides and give off toxins called saxitoxin- produced by Neurological symptoms that = PSP
dinoflagellates
a marine microalgal bloom which has appeared in Long Island’s Peconic and South Shore estuaries as well as in Narragansett Bay (Rhode Island), Barnegat Bay (New Jersey), Delaware’s inland bays, Maryland’s coastal bays, and in South Africa. It is caused by a particularly small (2-3 microns in diameter) and previously unknown phytoplankton species called Aureococcus anophagefferens (meaning “golden sphere that causes cessation of feeding”
brown tide
An algal bloom that occurs in salt water
Red tide
