Justin Nicholas

the kitchen

track bikes, road bikes, music. sledding, cooking.

against empire, dance of days

lovers of the arctic circle, wet hot american summer

fugazi, the langley schools music project, scene creamers, blue cheer

the young ones.

What are phytoplankton?

Phytoplankton have been called the grasses of the sea.
Through the process of photosynthesis (photo=light;
synthesis=build), these microscopic, single-celled plants
nourish the entire food web of the oceans. The lives of all
animals that live in the sea -- with the exception of
hydrothermal vent organisms -- depend on phytoplankton for
energy and minerals. The global carbon cycle, which
regulates the temperature of our planet, and life-
sustaining oxygen, essential to the metabolism of all
aerobic organisms, are controlled by the actions of the
phytoplankton. Perhaps no other group of organisms plays
such a major role in the maintenance of life on Earth.

Collectively, phytoplankton are known as microalgae, a
designation given to all algae, of which phytoplankton are
a part, that are too small to be seen with the naked eye.
The other group of algae that inhabit the seas are the
macroalgae, the kelps and fucoids that grow along the
shore. We'll study macroalgae in more detail when we
examine rocky shores.

The largest phytoplankton include the diatoms, the
coccolithophorids, and the dinoflagellates. The smallest
phytoplankton, the ultraphytoplankton (which includes
picophytoplankton), include a single-cell planktonic form
of the blue-green algae known as the cyanobacteria. This
latter group was not really appreciated until the mid-1970s
when it was "discovered" that this group of phytoplankton
may contribute up to 70% of the world ocean's entire
primary production. At a concentration of approximately
100,000 cells per milliliter (about a drop of water), this
group of fascinating photosynthetic bacteria has received
much attention in recent years. Despite their "bacterial"
nature, they are eukaryotic and they do contain
chlorophyll. For that reason, they are included among the
algae.

someone who loves 99 cent arizona green tea tall boys as
much as me.


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