The Marine Life Information Network

Information on the biology of species and the ecology of habitats found around the coasts and seas of the British Isles

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MarLIN Glossary

Glossary items

zoea

Penultimate larval stage of many decapod crustaceans, preceding the post-larval stage (Ruppert & Barnes, 1994).

zoeae

Plural of 'zoea'.

zoeal

Adjective of 'zoea'.

zooid

One of the individual animals connected together in a common mass constituting a colony (based on Fitter & Manuel, 1986).

zooplankton

The animal component of the plankton (Lincoln et al., 1998).

zooxanthellae

Symbiotic single-celled algae that live in the tissues of some hard corals and other organisms, such as sea slugs. Zooxanthellae provide it's host with energy in the form of sugars from photosynthesis, in return for protection and a nutrient rich environment.

zooxanthellate

An organism with symbiotic 'zooxanthellae'.