[puh-rif-i-ton] 
| the community of tiny organisms, as protozoans, hydras, insect larvae, and snails, that lives on the surfaces of rooted aquatic plants. |
| pe·riph·y·ton (pə-rĭf'ĭ-tŏn') n. Sessile organisms, such as algae and small crustaceans, that live attached to surfaces projecting from the bottom of a freshwater aquatic environment. [New Latin, from Greek periphuton, from neuter sing. of periphutos, planted all over, from periphuein, to grow around, cling to : peri-, peri- + phuein, to grow; see bheuə- in Indo-European roots.] |
ɪˌtɒn