Nekton are actively swimming aquatic organisms that can move independently of water currents, distinguished from plankton by their ability to control horizontal and vertical locomotion. This assemblage is defined functionally rather than taxonomically and includes many fishes, cephalopods, marine mammals, and some crustaceans. Nekton occupy diverse trophic levels, often serving as key meso- and top predators that structure food webs and mediate energy transfer between pelagic and benthic systems. Their population dynamics, migratory behavior, and physiological adaptations (e.g., buoyancy control, hydrodynamic body forms) are central topics in marine ecology, fisheries science, and ecosystem modeling.
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