Tychoplankton (Greek, "tycho", accident, chance) are organisms, such as free-living or attached benthic organisms and other non-planktonic organisms, that are carried into the plankton through a disturbance of their benthic habitat, or by winds and currents.[1] This can occur by direct turbulence or by disruption of the substrate and subsequent entrainment in the water column.[1][2] Tychoplankton are, therefore, a primary subdivision for sorting planktonic organisms by duration of lifecycle spent in the plankton, as neither their entire lives nor particular reproductive portions are confined to planktonic existence.[3]
They are also known as accidental plankton or pseudo-plankton (compare: pseudoplankton), although "pseudoplankton" also defines organisms that do not themselves float but, rather, are attached to other organisms that float.
- ^ a b Chapman, Michael J.; Margulis, Lynn (2009). Kingdoms and Domains: An Illustrated Guide to the Phyla of Life on Earth (4th ed.). Amsterdam: Academic Press/Elsevier. pp. 566. ISBN 978-0123736215.
- ^ Simberloff, Daniel; Rejmánek, Marcel, eds. (2011). Encyclopedia of biological invasions. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 736. ISBN 978-0520264212.
- ^ Kennish, Michael J., ed. (2004). Estuarine Research, Monitoring, and Resource Protection. Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press. p. 194. ISBN 978-0849319600. Archived from the original on 2013-01-20.