PLANKTON is a mixture of plant and animal life in the open ocean, away from shore. It provides the main food source for many ocean animals, including the largest in the world, the blue whale. The plant life portion of this mixture is called phytoplankton.

ALGAE is the name for plants which grow under the water. You may know it as seaweed. Shoreline creatures feed on this. You may be surprised to learn that seaweed is also an ingredient in many products people use, such as ice cream, toothpaste, medicines, paints, and other everyday items!


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