Plankton Decline

Phytoplankton are affecting the entire world around them!

Phytoplankton exist in the sunlight layer of the world's oceans to grow and gather energy. They also play a major role in the world's carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous cycles, which can not only affect the world's oceans but the entire world. Since 1950, the Phytoplankton population has dropped nearly 40%. That translates to about a drop about 1 % of the average plankton population between 1899-2008. They blame the rising of sea temperatures on the decline of Phytoplankton, lessening the population. Phytoplankton are the base of the food chain concerning many scientists, which leads them to wonder what might happen in 10 years. When Phytoplankton die, they sink to the bottom of the ocean, depositing their carbon in the sediment where it can be trapped for long periods of time. A demonstration was put in place by a team of researchers. They found out that increasing warmth caused by a changing climate will upset the natural cycles of carbon dioxide, nitrogen and phosphorous. This will affect the plankton which also may cause harm to for fish and other species higher up on the food chain. I feel as though something should be done because Phytoplankton are slowly taking over, increasing the risk of other species decreasing.  

• Morello, Lauren, and ClimateWire. "Phytoplankton Population Drops 40 Percent Since 1950." Scientific American Global RSS. Scientific American, 29 July 2010. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
• Kirby, Alex. "Plankton Will Suffer as Oceans Warm." Climate News Network. Climate News Network, 8 Sept. 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.

marine food web

Marine Food Web

Clams live on the bottom of the ocean and they are classed as bivalve mollusks. Clams are constantly looking for something to eat. When the clam pops open, a long siphon, also called a “neck”, comes out to suck the food down the long neck into the clam. Clams are known as filter feeders, which means that the clams pump water through their bodies to capture microscopic organisms that float along the bottom of the ocean which is also called plankton. Clams also eat phytoplankton, zooplankton, algae and copepods. The clams get their nutrients out of the plankton they eat. Clams are a popular food in the animal world. Fish like to eat them, and so do shorebirds, which sometimes break them open by dropping them onto boulders from a great height. Starfish eat them by prying them open with their powerful arms.
                                        

 

Phytoplankton

These small plants are the beginning of the food chain for most of the planet. As phytoplankton grow and multiply, small fish and other animals eat them as food. Larger animals then eat these smaller ones. The ocean fishing industry often finds good fishing spots by looking at ocean color images to locate areas rich in phytoplankton. Phytoplankton are the foundation of the aquatic food web, the primary producers, feeding everything from microscopic, animal-like zooplankton to multi-ton whales. Neuston's are aquatic organisms that float or swim in the surface film of a body of water.
Hypotheses from page 3:
Diatoms are a major group of eukaryotic algae, and are one of the most common types of phytoplankton. Most diatoms are unicellular, although they can exist as colonies in the shape of filaments. Most of them are yellowish- brown. They make their own source of nutrients by light and water.
Activity 1 results on page 5:
1. Diatomaceous earth is soil that contains diatoms or their fossils.
2. Light bounces off different objects in order to reflect.
3. Based of diatoms characteristics, they can also be useful for mirrors because they reflect themselves.
Conclude and communicate on page 5:
1. I learned that diatoms depend on sunlight for energy to preform photosynthesis and nutrients.
2. Would plankton survive if there were no diatoms? What else do diatoms do for the ocean?
3. The importance of this activity is to study the adaptation that diatoms have for planktonic life.