photic zone. Zooplankton—tiny free-floating
animals—eat phytoplankton. This is the first step in many aquatic
food webs. Below the photic zone is the dark aphotic zone, where
photosynthesis cannot occur.
Many aquatic organisms live on, or in, rocks and sediments on the
bottoms of lakes, streams, and oceans. These organisms are called the
benthos, and their habitat is the benthic zone. Where water is shallow
enough for the benthos to be within the photic zone, algae and rooted
aquatic plants…
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