Final answer:
The correct answer is A) Ephemeral Zooplankton. These species spend a mere fraction of their lives as members of the plankton community and may have other life stages or habitats outside of it.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer is A) Ephemeral Zooplankton.
Ephemeral zooplankton species spend a mere fraction of their lives as members of the plankton community. This means that their presence in the plankton community is brief or short-lived. These species may have other life stages or habitats outside of the plankton community.
For example, some zooplankton species only spend their larval stage in the plankton community before transitioning into a non-planktonic life stage. These species might eventually become nekton or benthos, as they grow and develop into larger organisms that can swim or crawl on their own.