Plankton: The Source Of Life

The ecological niche most of these organisms inhabit is that of a basic food source for larger marine animals. While it should be noted that many of these planktic organisms are microscopic in nature there are larger creatures which inhabit this role as well. Jellyfish are a prime example of a larger version of this organism type.

Table of Contents:

• 1. Terminology
• 2. Groups
• • 2.1 Trophic
  • 2.2 Size
• 3. Distribution
• 4. Ecological Importance
• • 4.1 Biogeochemical Significance
  • 4.1a Biomass Variability
  • 4.2 Importance to Marine Animals

1.Terminology

The term plankton derives from an ancient greek source, the word planktos, which means "errant". This term extends to the concepts of the "wanderer" and "drifter". This name was chosen due to the fact that most organisms in this niche drift with ocean and water currents. Some do have the capacity for independent movement. However, these creatures move primarily in a vertical manner and continue to drift with the current surrounding them. This concept of life directly opposes nekton organisms which swim against the current. Fish are a solid example of a nekton organism.

There are two primary forms of planktic creature in existence. These forms are holoplankton and meroplankton. Among these forms, the holoplankton type will continually exist as a planktic being their entire lives. Most algae and some jellyfish are prime examples of this form. Meroplankton are forms of planktic being that are only planktic in certain stages of life. Most of the meroplankton types are in the planktic form during their larval stage. After this stage they grow into either a nektic (nekton organisms) or benthic (ocean floor) organisms. Fish and sea urchins are good examples of meroplankton which become nektic and benthic respectively.

The term planktic which is used to describe these organisms is generally the proper term to use. However, there is a term known as 'planktonic' which is used as well. It is a widespread word which means the same as planktic. However, planktonic is technically inaccurate and grammatically incorrect.

When an English word is derived from a word in Greek or Latin then gender suffix is removed. The -on suffix is considered a neuter gender suffix and should be removed when deriving words from those languages. The less often seen term planktic is the grammatically accurate adjective.

2. Groups

Planktic organisms come in all shapes and sizes. The primary method of grouping them will be through their trophic nature and their size.

2.1 Trophic

It should be noted that while this particular trophic group scheme divides the planktic organism types into broad categories which include consumer, producer, and recycler groups this is not always the case in reality. As noted with the prokaryotic phytoplankton there are exceptions in the groupings which allow for mixotrophic existences depending on the circumstances the organism exists within.

Planktic beings are devided into three primary trophic groups based on the manner in which they function. These groups are:

* Zooplankton

This group of planktic type organisms derives its name from the Greek term "zoon" which means animal. Small crustaceans, and microscopic organisms inhabit this trophic group. Larger creatures such as the larval forms of some fish and certain jellyfish species inhabit this group as well. This is the primary consumer group of theplanktic world. These creatures tend to eat other planktic beings.

* Phytoplankton

This group of planktic type organisms derives its name from the Greek term "phyton" which means plant. This group includes organisms which live close to the surface of the water. This location is necessary due to their need to draw in sufficient levels of sunlight to properly conduct photosynthesis. Autotrophic, eukaryotic, and prokaryotic algae are the types of organisms in this group. Among these types the more important creatures are the cyanobacteria, coccolithophores, dinofagellates, and diatoms. This is the primary producer group for the planktic world.

* Bacterioplankton

This group of planktic beings are the primary component of the remineralization of organic material which can be found in any water column. There is a bit of trophic group crossover in this level due to the fact that prokaryotic phytoplankton are bacterioplankton as well. This is the primary recycler group for the planktic world.

2.2 Size

The size of planktic beings can range from the microscopic to the massive. Most of these organisms will be microscopic in size. The size categories are as follows:

* Femtoplankton: A planktic type which are marine viruses less than 0.2 µm (micrometers) in size.

* Picoplankton: A planktic type which includes small 0.2-2 µm bacteria and similar creatures.

*Nanoplankton: A planktic type which is known to include small 2-20 µm diatoms, flagellates, and eukaryotic protists among many others.

* Microplankton: A planktic type which is known to include large 20-200 µm eukaryotic protists, protozoa, most phytoplankton, some juvenille crustacea and metazoans, and several other types of organisms.

*Mesoplankton: A planktic type which is known to include pteropods, copepods, medusae, and any other organism which is 0.2 mm-2 mm in size.

*Macroplankton: A planktic type which is known to include larger metazoans, pteropods, and euphausiacea. This group includes any planktic type which is 2-20mm in size.

*Megaplankton: A planktic type which is known to include any planktic organism over greater than 20 mm in size. Jellyfish and some cephalopoda are examples to note.

This scale is a good representation of planktic sizes and types. However, it should be noted that some researchers will use different boundaries to establish size groups. This is especially true for the larger types of planktic organism.

3. Distribution

Planktic organisms are known to inhabit both salt water and fresh water. They are found worldwide and are the most widespread group of organisms known due to their variability. All ecosystems which are found to be driven by planktic organisms require solar energy. Primary production will begin at the surface areas of the water and this will cause materials to drift down the water column for the other planktic beings to subsist upon. This also means that even though planktic organisms are found all over the world, they are primarily found in areas which include regions with abundant light all year.

4. Ecological Importance

Plankton are vitally important from a geological standpoint. A large potion of the world's oxygen creation and mineral recycling is undertaken by these organisms.

4.1 Biogeochemical Significance

The planktic beings of the world are the primary drivers of the carbon cycle in the ocean. They are responsible for creating oxygen, carbon, methane, and a number of minerals which are of major importance to the environment. Due to the existence of planktic beings the world's oceans are considered the biggest carbon sink known.

4.2 Biomass Variability

Planktic beings can be seen in varying shapes and sizes. This is primarily due to the nature of the area they are living in. Tropical areas which the most sunlight only cause limits on the size of the phytoplankton population, and thus the other planktic populations, due to the lower macronutrient content of the water. On another note northern areas with higher nutrient concentrations will also have lower light levels. This causes the growth of phytoplankton to be limited. In an area where both sunlight and nutrient concentrations are high there will be a wide variety of actively growing planktic beings.

4.3 Importance To Marine Animals

In many instances the planktic organisms of the world are not only important as food sources for each other. They also account for the principle food sources for many other forms of life. Fish especially rely on these organisms in their larval stages due to their size. On the other end of the spectrum even some large whales subsist primarily on these tiny organisms.

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