Phytoplankton and Zooplankton

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Phytoplankton and Zooplankton
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Phytoplankton

• The most important organisms on the planet
• are

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Phytoplankton

• Generate 50 of the oxygen that we breath. They
  are called the plants of the sea.
• Examples diatoms, radiolarians, dinoflagellates,
  foraminifera

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Ocean water Under the microscope What do you
see?
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Phytoplankton Sustain all marine organisms
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Where do we find Phytoplankton?
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Phytoplankton distribution is patchy.

• Phytoplankton exist
• Where there is sunlight
• and nutrients. (red highest
• Blue lowest)

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There are no/little Phytoplankton in Tropical
Waters
Why? Use the pictures To help answer
http//www.youtube.com/watch?v_Ww6BIy3nc0
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AnswerUpwelling is not present in these
tropical waters Upwelling brings nutrients found
on the bottom into the top layer where there is
plenty of sun.
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Phytoplankton Blooms

• Phytoplankton Blooms
• Uncontrolled growth of one species of
  phtoplankton.
• Called the
• Red Tide
• Brown Tide depending on the species

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Phytoplankton Blooms

• Major reasons are, storm water runoff, too many
  nutrients going into the water from fertilizers,
  from human activities
• .

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Phytoplankton Blooms

• They produce a toxin that makes them taste bad to
  fish that would otherwise eat them. Although this
  chemical can even kill fish, medical experts say
  it only irritates humans (swimming in). The toxin
  can build up in shellfish. Thats why tainted
  shellfish are unsafe and possibly deadly for
  humans to eat

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Dinoflagellates of Long Island
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Zooplankton

• Zooplankton are heterotrophs
• drifters in the oceans reliant on currents for
  movement.
• Can Range in size microscopic to as large as
  jellyfish

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Food Chain of Marine Ecosystems
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What eats zooplanktonSome examples
Basking Shark
Blue Whale
Manta Ray
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Zooplankton

• primary consumers in food chains.
• They include all the classification of organisms
  and will be discussed in the other phylum
  powerpoints.

Rotifer eating phyto plankton
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