Role of the Microorganism in the Aquatic Food Web
When you think of life in the ocean, there's a good chance that you think of animals such as whales, sharks, fish and crustaceans. These creatures depend on a much smaller set of creatures for their existence. Phytoplankton and zooplankton build the base on which all aquatic life is built.
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Plankton Features
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Plankton is made up of groups of organisms generally too small and inactive to live on their own. Algae organisms like diatoms and dinoflagellates make up a large percentage of zooplankton. Phaeotype algae and cyanobacteria are other small plant organisms. Plankton also includes microscopic animals like ciliates, zooflagellates and krill, or small shrimp.
Movement
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Plankton creatures are incapable of propelling themselves. They float near the surface in very large groups, or colonies. This gives them access to sunlight, and also makes them easy for other animals to find and eat.
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Plankton as Food
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Plankton, phytoplankton, zooplankton and krill make up the base of the food chain in the ocean. These small organisms provide food for the largest creatures in the ocean--the baleen whales. Fish and crustaceans also devour the algae and microorganisms. These fish and crustaceans may then be devoured themselves, passing the energy that started with plankton up the food chain.
Plankton as Filter
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As plant life, the algae in plankton performs an important filtering function in the oceans. Through photosynthesis algae takes sunlight and carbon dioxide for its life functions, and produces oxygen, which it passes into the water. This process of oxygenating the water is a valuable and important part of allowing fish, sharks and crustaceans to live--and breathe--in the oceans.
Considerations
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Although it's difficult to take a precise measurement of plankton in the ocean, scientists believe that plankton levels are dropping. The Starving Ocean at Fisherycrisis.com states that there has been a "70% drop in [plankton] levels ... off the U.S. west coast since 1950." These drops are attributed to lack of oxygen in the water, pollution and global climate change. This drop in plankton levels could lead to a lack of food sources in the ocean, from the bottom of the food chain up.
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References
- Photo Credit ocean image by Yulia Volodina from Fotolia.com
