The Importance of Plankton in Pelagic Food Webs and Carbon Cycling

Phytoplankton are microscopic photosynthesising organisms which live in water. In favourable environmental conditions they have a very high rate of reproduction. They are eaten by microscopic animals called zooplankton. In an investigation, samples of water were removed from a lake at intervals over a twelve-month period and the biomasses of these organisms were determined. The results are shown in the graph.

This article presents the impact of low oxygen waters on Chesapeake Bay Zoo-plankton. Anoxia (oxygen deficiency) reduces the cope-pod abundances in Chesapeake's bottom waters, and disrupts the cope-pods inhabits towards the bottom and their migration to the surface. Also, cope-pods will have limited survival ability in low oxygen conditions in bottom waters. Results show the number of cope-pods surviving for 24 hours were significantly lower in water containing smaller milligrams of oxygen liter. Some will have a greater chance of survival because of their low metabolism that requires smaller oxygen. Low oxygen reduces the filtration rate of zoo-plankton and the filtration rate of the fresh water. Decreased filtration reduces metabolic rate in low-oxygen conditions, generally occur in the mesohaline part in summer. Low oxygen-levels may cut phyto-plankton and Cope pod's production. Lower oxygen concentration prevents hatching and the growth of eggs, which eggs could survive a few days if temperatures are cold and as the eggs sink to the bottom.

“Since the beginning of the industrial era, the ocean has absorbed some 525 billion tons of CO2 from the atmosphere, presently around 22 million tons per day” (Ocean Portal, n.d). This number is expected to increase forevermore as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels increase and the effects of Climate Change worsen. At first, the idea of our oceans absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere may sound great, however, scientists have been quick to learn otherwise. High concentrations of carbon dioxide in oceans can have detrimental effects on the ocean chemistry and marine ecosystems (Hardt; Safina, 2008). Marine ecosystems are greatly complex and depend on every marine organism to function properly, any change can put the whole ecosystem at risk. For example, the increase of carbon dioxide in our oceans is responsible for the dissolving of “brittle star” skeletal parts, which has in effect caused food scarcity for many fish, crabs, shrimp, and other starfish (Leu, 2013). Furthermore, these marine ecosystems are very important to humans- being the primary food source for millions around the world and having an economic market worth trillions of dollars (Hardt; Safina, 2008). Part of keeping these ecosystems safe is to understand how they work and how projected changes can harm marine organisms.

Daphnia are freshwater crustaceans which live in lakes, ponds, and slow-moving streams. To swim, the Daphnia uses its antennae by thrusting it downward and pushing itself towards the surface of the water. After each push it pauses and floats downward while breathing and collecting food with its ten legs. These creatures are filter feeders and survive in culture by eating algae and protozoans. Even though Daphnia have a hard outer shell for protection, they are vulnerable to many prey, including newts, salamanders, tadpoles, and small fish. The nutrients Daphnia intake by eating algae is passed on to their predators. This is important in the food chain even to those who don’t eat the Daphnia

Planktons! You can find them in several places on the Earth. In oceans, seas, and lakes! These organisms are those that drift, and are incapable or have little or no ability to swim. Due to that, they are moved and taken wherever by the currents of water based environments. (http://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/plankton.htm) Not to mention, they are also an important food source to many large aquatic organisms. For instance, fish and whales. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plankton) In this lab experiment, “Battle of the Plankton”, groups of students are to make their own planktonic organism out of household items that will (hopefully) have the characteristic of sinking slowly when placed in a large tank filled with fresh water. They will have

Daphnia are important because they are important to the food chain in these aquatic habitats; they feed on algae, algae is a producer- it converts sun energy into food, and larger animals, consumers or predators, such as small fish feed on Daphnia, thereby passing this energy to them. (Russell, 2013) Therefore, studying Daphnia is important in the understanding of not only the ecology and behaviour of Daphnia, but also other members of the same food web, its consumers, the fish. Daphnia increase in abundance in summer months,

Along the coasts of rocky beaches, an intricate ecological community inhabits the ‘rocky intertidal’ areas. The variety of rocks is home to an array of slimy, squishy, and colorful organisms. This intertidal community is comprised of nine species: three different algae, three stationary filter-feeders, and three mobile consumers. The three algae, Nori Seaweed, Black Pine, and Coral Weed, are the community’s producers and inhabit the bottom of the food chain. The next three species are stationary consumers. They are Mussel, Goose Neck Barnacle, and Acorn Barnacle. Because of their consumer status, they are more competitively dominant than algae. The last three components are the mobile consumers: Whelk, Chiton, and Starfish. They

shellfish and zooplankton such as foraminifera and pteropods. These organisms, especially zooplankton, are the base of the marine food chain, as they provide energy in the form of food for animals higher up the food chain. The levels of calcium carbonate, minerals that calcifying species use to build their exoskeleton, in the ocean are disturbed by the increased amounts of carbon dioxide that is being absorbed. This new absorption is causing some parts of the ocean to become unsaturated with this important compound, and therefore making them less available to the calcifying organisms that need them. Without these protective shells, organisms are unable to survive, leading to a rapid decrease in their populations.

Floras and microbes are additional main biotic mechanisms of many oceanic ecosystems. Microbes act as decomposers for oceanic ecosystems, and they break defunct living matter and transforms it into vitality that is used by other existing organisms in the oceanic ecosystem. Detrivores, which are a type of animal, also eat deceased or putrefying plants and animal matter. Algae, which are autotrophs, appear as the head herbal vivacity and primary producers in oceanic ecosystems. The sunlight transforms the light into energy for nourishment for marine plants. Heat and light are focal abiotic factors discovered in essentially all oceanic ecosystems, consequently oceanic ecosystems has some broaden abiotic mechanisms, comprising viscosity and many more. The power that the bulk of an organism is called buoyancy. The durability of the drive of seawater is called viscosity. These abiotic factors source to the drive of all organisms in oceanic systems. Sunlight pierces the sea exterior only about 65 feet. As there is more salt in the Great Barrier Reef than in other oceanic ecosystems the marine holds less oxygen than the

In recent years the amount of Phytoplankton (Plankton) in our oceans have seen such a dramatic decline that in the future it will pose a great threat to the ways in which our world functions. Specifically speaking, all living beings from microscopic algae to marine mammals, seabirds, fish and humans will meet a great demise. From Dalhousie University a research was conducted where lead author Daniel Boyce said: ‘Phytoplankton is the fuel on which marine ecosystems run. A decline in phytoplankton affects everything up the food chain, including humans.’ Many people are unaware of the major contribution to our survival that the phytoplankton provide for us. Alone, it is responsible for 50% of the oxygen we breath in our atmosphere while tropical

The photos show that zooplanktons, rotifer, cladoceranr and copepod, could take in three types of MPs (0.1,1,9.9 µm) overtly. But all organisms no MPs in vivo under 101 µm diameter exposure surroundings were observed by fluorescence microscope, so there were not pictures printed here. Many freshwater and marine species such as annelids, crustaceans, ostracods and gastropods were reported that could uptake MPs(Imhof et al., 2013b; Setala et al., 2014). In the present study, the uptake of microspheres after 24h exposure in three kinds of zooplankton, rotifers, cladocerans and copepods, were captured by the fluorescence microscope. The observations displayed that rotifer gained MPs though test environment with remnant digestive production remaining in mastax, cloaca, (Fig.1 A, D, G), while cladocerans absorbed MPs by filter feeding so that MPs were discovered explicitly in their filter-feeding and intestinal tract (Fig.1 B, E, H), copepod also can procure three kinds of diameter MPs in a high concentration polystyrene microspheres condition, then persisted in digestive tract (Fig.1 C, F, I). Fig.1 suggests samples from wild fresh water had the capability of gaining fluorescence particles under the surroundings with MPs. They can uptake three types of microspheres apparently, 0.1,1,9.9 µm, out of 101 µm diameter. Early researches focused on selection at plastic sizes

Sampling plankton using plankton net. 2 people carry planktonet and swim horizontally as far as 50 meters from the beach. Samples obtained are incorporated into the 100 ml bottle that has been labeled and given some drops of lugol's, and formaldehyde. then the sample is inserted into the ice box and taken to a laboratory to be analyzed using microscopy, cell counting and rafter Sedgwick at capture using optilab. Identification refers to the Yamaji (1976), Sachlan (1980), as well as Bold and Wyne

Phytoplankton and Giant Kelp are two protists found in “Seasonal Seas”. Phytoplankton are the main primary producers found in the ocean. Spring is usually when phytoplankton bloom, which is known as the “spring bloom”. When too many nutrients are available, phytoplankton may grow out of control and form harmful algal blooms. Phytoplankton provide food for copepods, and they in turn are prey to jellyfish. This all contributes to the giant food web in the ocean. Phytoplankton utilize light and nutrients from the surface of the water which helps them get nutrients and live longer. Because of their dependency on the sun, they are found floating near the surface of the water. They are extremely dependent on minerals found in the ocean. The main two types of phytoplankton include the diatoms and dinoflagellates. Some of them can thrive in different conditions which means that primary consumers can get plenty of phytoplankton throughout the year. Phytoplankton also play an essential role in the

Different statistics have been calculated revealing the extent of mixotrophs in the environment and their resulting effect on the food web. A study by Dolan and Pérez found that mixotrophs represent “on average about 30% of oligotrich numbers” in the ocean and are a “generally minor component of oligotrich communities” (Dolan and Pérez, 2000). However, recent research by Leles et al. shows that mixotrophs represent “approximately 40% of total ciliate biomass” and even influence the biological carbon pump (Leles et al., 2017). In addition, Gast et al. found that mixotrophs “can have significant impact on polar food webs” (Gast et al., 2014). These contradicting statements regarding the importance of mixotrophs in the oceanic food web show the need for further research on exactly what and how they contribute to the ecosystems they populate. Nevertheless, most scientists agree that mixotrophs do impact the oceanic biomes in some

Plankton are aquatic organisms that drift throughout their environment as they posses no true motor capabilities. Within their respective aquatic habitats plankton form the productive basis of their ecosystem and are divided into two subcategories: zooplankton and phytoplankton, the later will be the primary focus of this paper. Phytoplankton, as well as other photosynthetic organisms poses pigments called chlorophyll. These pigments allow phytoplankton to convert carbon dioxide and water to oxygen and sugar, which provides the phytoplankton with energy. Due to the fact that all phytoplankton posses chlorophyll scientists have developed methods that use chlorophyll testing in order to understand more about phytoplankton as a whole. Phytoplankton posses different types of chlorophyll but scientists usually sample chlorophyll-a as it is the most abundant form (YSI Environmental, Cullen 1982, Santos 2003). Several different methods have been developed to analyze the concentration of chlorophyll-a.