Phytoplankton
Autotrophic members of the plankton ecosystem
Phytoplankton () are the autotrophic (self-feeding) components of the plankton community and a key part of ocean and freshwater ecosystems. The name comes from Ancient Greek 蠁蠀蟿蠈谓 (phut贸n), meaning "plant", and 蟺位伪纬魏蟿蠈蟼 (plankt贸s), meaning "drifter, wanderer, roamer", and thus, "plant drifter".