Bryozoan Any member of the phylum Bryozoa, which consists of tiny moss-like water animals that live in colonies. Crustaceans Arthropods that live in the water and breathe by gills, such as lobsters, barnacles, crabs, and shrimps. A small, sometimes parasitic, crustacean belonging to the class Copepoda. Detritus Decomposed plant and animal matter that has been worked to sediment size through the action of water and sand. Diatoms One-celled algae with cell walls of silica.
Diatoms make up the first links in the aquatic food chain.
Ecosystem A biological community existing in a specific physical environment. Emergent A plant that grows directly in the water and stays erect to emerge from the water surface, regardless of the water level. Estuary A partially enclosed area where the fresh water of rivers mixes with tidal salt water. Euryhaline Able to live in waters with a wide variation in salinity. Exoskeleton An external skeleton, such as the shell of a mollusk or arthropod.