#phytoplankton

• Algotrophic — Feeding on algae or depending nutritionally on algal biomass; algophagous. In aquatic ecology, the term characterizes secondary consumer organisms or trophic webs within a biotope where primary production is overwhelmingly provided by microscopic or macroscopic algae.
• Algotrophism — A form of nutrition or ecological phenomenon characterized by an organism's energetic and metabolic dependence on the consumption of algae; algophagy. In limnic and marine ecosystems, algotrophism represents a foundational mechanism for transferring primary biomass.
• Diatoms — A class of microscopic unicellular or colonial algae, scientifically known as Bacillariophyceae or commonly as diatoms, characterized by a silicified, rigid, and ornamented cell wall called a frustule, consisting of two overlapping valves like a box. These aquatic photosynthetic organisms play a fundamental ecological role as primary producers in the phytoplankton of seas and fresh waters, with their fossil accumulations forming diatomite.