Plankton are a diverse group of microscopic organisms that drift or float in the ocean, seas, and bodies of fresh water. They are primarily divided into two categories: phytoplankton, which are photosynthetic and include algae and cyanobacteria, and zooplankton, which are typically tiny animals or the larval stages of larger animals. Phytoplankton are crucial to aquatic ecosystems as they form the base of most aquatic food webs, producing organic compounds through photosynthesis that serve as food for marine and freshwater species. Zooplankton, on the other hand, feed on phytoplankton and other microscopic food sources, bridging the energy transfer from primary producers to larger predatory organisms, including fish and marine mammals. The distribution and abundance of plankton are influenced by environmental factors such as water temperature, salinity, and nutrient availability, making them sensitive indicators of changes in water quality and climate conditions.
Microfossils dating back half a billion years have been discovered by a scientist from the University of Leicester. A scientist from the University of Leicester…
A new study reveals that rising global temperatures could convert widespread microbial communities worldwide from carbon sinks to carbon emitters, potentially triggering climate change tipping…
The tropical oceans harbor the most varied plankton communities on our planet, which serve as the foundation of marine food webs. However, it may come…
Bioluminescence is, without a doubt, one of the most spectacular natural phenomena to experience in person. If you’ve ever seen fireflies at night or beautiful…
Researchers have proved for the first time that corals’ fluorescent colors are intended to attract prey. For the first time, a recent study from Tel…
An international team of researchers has discovered a new type of fossilization. Discovery of ‘ghost’ fossils reveals plankton resilience to past global warming events. An…
Plankton eaters play key role in transferring offshore resources to coral reef ecosystems. A new analysis suggests that the movement of plankton and plankton-eating fish…
The weird and wonderful genome of dinoflagellates looks nothing like other eukaryotic genomes. The genome of single-celled plankton, known as dinoflagellates, is organized in an…
Whether it’s plankton exposed to parasites or people exposed to pathogens, a host’s initial immune response plays an integral role in determining whether infection occurs…
Rising temperatures could reduce the efficiency of food chains and threaten the survival of larger animals, new research shows. Scientists measured the transfer of energy…
An international team of scientists, led by the University of Bristol, have produced an unprecedented record of the biotic recovery of ocean ecosystems that followed…
They’re impossible to see with the naked eye. They’re difficult to pronounce. But coccolithophores, a single-celled plankton, have an outsized effect on oceans due to…
Regardless of the amount of winter ice cover, the waters off of the Alaskan coast usually come alive each spring with blooms of phytoplankton. These…
New research details how tiny imbalances in the phytoplankton predator-prey relationship, caused by environmental variability, give rise to massive phytoplankton blooms, having huge impacts on…
During a NASA-sponsored ICESCAPE expedition, scientists found a massive algal bloom under the Arctic sea ice. Once thought impossible, this marks the first direct observation…
Many creatures in the sea glow in the depths of the deepest trenches of the oceans. Bioluminescence is even observed in some marine bacteria, which…
Deep below the ocean’s surface, huge eddies are often formed. The depths have their own kinds of weather systems. NASA’s Terra satellite captured this photo…