noun
- a microscopic aquatic animal with a wheel-like ring of cilia around its mouth used for feeding and swimming
Usage: biology
Examples
- The biology student observed rotifers swimming in the pond water sample.
- Rotifers are important members of freshwater plankton communities.
- Under the microscope, the rotifer’s spinning cilia looked like tiny wheels.
- Many rotifers can survive being dried out and then rehydrated.
- The aquarium’s ecosystem included various rotifers that helped maintain water quality.
- Rotifers reproduce both sexually and asexually depending on environmental conditions.