Phytoplankton

Ocean-dwelling and sustaining microbiota:

 

'phytoplankton absorb Carbon Dioxide and produce oxygen...almost 50% of the world's oxygen'

'zooplankton form the base of the marine food chain and feed larger animals : fish, jellyfish, shellfish and corals'

'some of the largest marine animals feed only on plankton'

'Plankton are very nutritious, sustaining these giants of the sea and maintaining fish stocks around the world'

 

What is the health of our ocean's phytoplankton today and who is monitoring it? It is essential because it forms the base of the whole food chain.

http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/observations/monitoring/

 

http://australianmuseum.net.au/what-is-plankton

"
Plankton range in size from tiny microbes, which are invisible to the naked eye, to jellyfish metres long. Apart from bacteria, planktonic organisms are the most abundant life form on earth and play a crucial role in the marine food chain. Without plankton, there would be few living organisms on earth, and certainly no Great Barrier Reef. Planktonic organisms are food for a range of animals from barnacles and sea squirts to large fish and whales. The largest fish in the world, the Whale Shark, is a plankton feeder as are many of the largest whales."

 

radioactive contamination from nuclear reactors destroys sea plankton upon which the whole food chain, and Earth's Biosphere depends. Plankton produces oxygen and consumes carbon dioxide.


"
Fish, whales, dolphins, crabs, seabirds, and just about everything else that makes a living in or off of the oceans owe their existence to phytoplankton, one-celled plants that live at the ocean surface.

Phytoplankton are at the base of what scientists refer to as oceanic biological productivity, the ability of a water body to support life such as plants, fish, and wildlife."

In the process of photosynthesis, phytoplankton release oxygen into the water. Half of the world's oxygen is produced via phytoplankton photosynthesis. The other half is produced via photosynthesis on land by trees, shrubs, grasses, and other plants."

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/06/0607_040607_phytoplankton.html

 

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