Bioluminescent Phytoplankton, Hong Kong, China

Phytoplankton are the autotrophic components of the plankton community and a key factor of oceans, seas and freshwater basins ecosystems. The name comes from the Greek words φυτόν (phyton), meaning "plant", and πλαγκτός (planktos), meaning "wanderer" or "drifter". Most phytoplankton are too small to be individually seen with the unaided eye. However, when present in high enough numbers, some varieties may be noticeable as a green discoloration of the water; this is due to the presence of chlorophyll within their cells, and in some species also due to the presence of accessory pigments such as phycobiliproteins, xanthophylls, etc.).
Plankton consists of any drifting organism (plant or animal) that inhabit the oceans and provide a vital source of food to larger aquatic organisms such as fish. A vast range of plankton, both zoo plankton and single-celled animal plankton are known to be bioluminescent. Bioluminescent phytoplankton occur in all the world’s oceans.The most common of these are Dinoflagellates which are tiny unicellular Bioluminescent Planktonmarine plankton also known as fire plants.