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Invasive species such as the overbite clam consumed the zooplankton on which juvenile smelt had fed, toxic chemicals in farm runoff fouled the waters.

The researchers do not yet know how the phytoplankton and zooplankton have been affected by this.

North Pacific right whales are baleen whales, which feed by straining huge volumes of ocean water through their comb-like baleen plates that trap copepods and other zooplankton.

When urchin numbers rise, the spiky marine invertebrates can devour kelp forests that are a critical habitat for zooplankton, the tiny aquatic organisms that are the primary prey of many marine animals.

Scientists have found DDT in zooplankton and deep-sea fish off the coast of L.A., indicating the toxic chemical might be infiltrating the base of the food web.