pleuston

== English == === Etymology === From Ancient Greek πλεῦσις (pleûsis, “sailing”), from πλέω (pléō) + -on. The -t- is on analogy with the coordinate terms. === Noun === pleuston (uncountable) (ecology) The organisms that live floating at the surface of water. (botany) Plants that live floating at the surface of water. ==== Usage notes ==== With regard to animals, distinction is made between the pleuston and the neuston. While the distinction is not always made clear, one distinction made is that the pleuston are those whose buoyancy restricts them to living at or near the surface, while the neuston inhabit the surface itself, supported mainly by surface tension. ==== Hypernyms ==== (botany): hydrophyte ==== Derived terms ==== pleustonic ==== Related terms ==== pleustal ==== Translations ==== === See also === plankton nekton neuston === References === === Anagrams === upstolen == Spanish == === Noun === pleuston m (uncountable) pleuston