Plankton: Invisible Climate Guardians and Vital Food Chain Links

Understanding Plankton

• 💡 Plankton are described as vital elements and the first link in the food chain.
• 🎯 Understanding plankton's diversity, ecosystem, function, and species is essential.
• 🔬 Plankton are defined as all organisms living in the water column that are suspended and move based on currents, rather than by their own propulsion.

Plankton Sampling and Analysis

• 🎣 Plankton are collected using nets, such as a 600-micron net, plunged into seawater.
• 🌊 Nets are lowered to depths like 75 meters and slowly brought up to harvest plankton throughout the water column.
• 🧪 Collected samples, a mixture of seawater and plankton, are preserved for decades using formaldehyde.
• 🖼️ The ZooScan instrument creates images of plankton, and EcoTaxa software sorts and categorizes these images.

Identifying Plankton Species

• 🔍 Specific plankton examples identified include a jellyfish and a copepod, with details on the copepod's antennae, head, and hook for catching prey.
• 📏 The approximate actual size of a copepod is noted as being quite small.

Impact of Climate Change on Plankton

• ⚠️ Climate change is highlighted as a significant threat, causing rising temperatures that impact plankton.
• 📉 There is a concern that plankton populations will disappear if climate change continues unabated.