What is the largest group of phytoplankton?
Phytoplankton comprise two very different kinds of organisms. The larger category include, single-celled algae known as protists—advanced eukaryotic cells, similar to protozoans. These forms include diatoms and are most abundant near coasts.
Are the phytoplankton evenly distributed throughout the ocean?
They concluded that plankton diversity is only partially congruent with previous theories of biodiversity for the seas between the equator and the poles. With some 10,000 to 20,000 different species in the world’s oceans, the diversity of phytoplankton (phyto from the Greek for plant) species is extremely rich.
What are the major groups of phytoplankton?
The two main classes of phytoplankton are dinoflagellates and diatoms.
What are the 3 types of phytoplankton?
The three most important types of phytoplankton are:
- Diatoms. These consist of single cells enclosed in silica (glass) cases.
- Dinoflagellates. This name refers to two whip-like attachments (flagella) used for forward movement.
- Desmids. These freshwater photosynthesisers are closely related to green seaweeds.
What is the size of plankton?
Plankton are usually microscopic, often less than one inch in length, but they also include larger species like some crustaceans and jellyfish. Scientists classify plankton in several ways, including by size, type, and how long they spend drifting.
Where does phytoplankton grow?
Phytoplankton thrive along coastlines and continental shelves, along the equator in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and in high-latitude areas. Winds play a strong role in the distribution of phytoplankton because they drive currents that cause deep water, loaded with nutrients, to be pulled up to the surface.
How many phytoplankton are in the ocean?
“There are about 11,000 formally described species of plankton – we have evidence for at least 10 times more than that.”
How much phytoplankton is in the ocean?
Biologists set out to estimate the total biomass of phytoplankton and calculated that less than one billion tonnes of the single-celled microorganisms were alive in the ocean at any one time. There were 45 billion tonnes of new phytoplankton each year, 45 times more than their own mass at any given time.
Which is the correct zooplankton size variation from smallest to largest?
Size categories include: picoplankton that measure less than 2 micrometers, nanoplankton measure between 2-20 micrometers, microplankton measure between 20-200 micrometers, mesoplankton measure between 0.2-20 millimeters, macroplankton measure between 20-200 millimeters, and the megaplankton, which measure over 200 …
What size is plankton?
How large is the largest plankton?
Megaplankton are the largest plankton. They range in size from 20 centimeters (8 inches; about the width of a sheet of paper) to 200 centimeters (6.5 feet; around Michael Jordan’s height). Floating animals in this size range are called “megazooplankton.” Macroplankton are relatively large plankton.
What’s the average size of a phytoplankton cell?
Phytoplankton range over nine orders of magnitude in cell volume: from <2 µm in equivalent spherical diameter for the picoplankton, 2–20 µm for the nanoplankton, 20–200 µm for the microplankton, up to 200–<2000 µm for macroplankton (Sieburth et al., 1978; Beardall et al., 2009) (Fig. 2).
When was the first study of phytoplankton growth?
The short term variability of the size distribution and growth rates of the phytoplankton community was studied during several visits at three stations located across the anticyclonic gyre of the Western Alboran Sea in May 1998.
How does elemental stoichiometry affect the size of phytoplankton?
The interactions between phytoplankton cell size, elemental stoichiometry, marine food webs and biogeochemistry. Changes in pCO 2, the depth of the upper mixed layer and associated changes in nutrient and light regime will regulate the size and taxonomic composition (and therefore elemental stoichiometry) of the phytoplankton community.
How are phytoplankton related to the food web?
Resulting changes in phytoplankton community structure are expected to have a cascading effect on primary and export production, food web dynamics and the structure of the marine food web as well the biogeochemical cycling of carbon and bio-limiting elements in the sea.