Food web Ecosystem Phytoplankton Common water fleas Food chain energy Biology Diagrams Humans rely heavily on marine resources for food, livelihoods, and recreation. Plankton, being the cornerstone of the marine food chain, indirectly support millions of people globally. A healthy plankton population ensures the sustainability of fish stocks and other marine resources that human populations depend on. Plankton Research and Monitoring
Phytoplankton are diverse, single-celled plants that use photosynthesis to produce oxygen and energy. They are the foundation of the aquatic food web, and they play a key role in the carbon cycle and climate change. Some of this food passes directly along the food chain when zooplankton eat the phytoplankton and in turn are consumed by larger animals such as fish, whales, squid, shellfish and birds. Food produced by phytoplankton can also enter another pathway dominated by bacteria (and possibly viruses).
NOAA's National Ocean Service Biology Diagrams
What are Phytoplankton? Phytoplankton are mostly microscopic, single-celled photosynthetic organisms that live suspended in water. Like land plants, they take up carbon dioxide, make carbohydrates using light energy, and release oxygen. They are what is known as primary producers of the oceanโthe organisms that form the base of the food chain. Ocean ecosystem food chains are perhaps the most primitive and curious levels of food webs. With oceans covering over 70 % of the Earth's surface, owing to that large expanse, they are home to over 230,000 documented marine species. The chain starts with primary producers, such as Phytoplankton, and moves up to apex predators like sharks and orcas.
Food webs are built from food chains.All forms of life in the sea have the potential to become food for another life form. In the ocean, a food chain typically starts with energy from the sun powering phytoplankton, and follows a course such as: . phytoplankton โ herbivorous zooplankton โ carnivorous zooplankton โ filter feeder โ predatory vertebrate Phytoplankton are similar to plants and use sunlight and nutrients to grow. They are the base of several aquatic food webs and provide food for many sea creatures, but can also cause harmful algal blooms.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Biology Diagrams
Feeding relationships are often shown as simple food chains - in reality, these relationships are much more complex, and the term 'food web' more accurately shows the links between producers, consumers and decomposers They form the 2nd level of the trophic pyramid and consume phytoplankton. Zooplankton are eaten by the 1st level Most of these aquatic species are tied together through the food web. Level One: Photo autotrophs The foundation of the sea's food chain is largely invisible. Countless billions of one-celled organisms, called phytoplankton, saturate sunlit upper-ocean waters worldwide.
