A Definitive History of Plankton Discovery

Historical Foundations of Plankton-Human Interactions

• Early records of plankton interactions originate in Ancient Greece, where evidence existed of "strange beings" that did not fit into recognized biological classifications.

• The most significant contributions to the field were made by a sequence of amateur and professional naturalists during the period spanning the $16^{th}$ to the $19^{th}$ centuries.

• Documentation of discoveries:

  • Insights were not exclusively published in books; they were frequently contained in individual correspondence.

  • Prominent recognized institutions, such as the Royal Society of London, maintained archives of this correspondence.

  • While many valuable records have been lost over time, a substantial portion remains available, documenting the progress of early researchers exploring a "whole new world."

• Importance of Illustration: Historical study of plankton places a heavy emphasis on the first illustrations because visual representations often conveyed complex details better than the limited biological terminology of the time.

The Discovery and Classification of Multicellular Plankton

• Initial Observations:

  • The first recorded plankton members were logically larger, multicellular organisms such as jellyfish.

  • Early naturalists also noted organisms that lived attached to other animals (parasites), commonly found on fish intended for daily consumption.

• Aristotle's Contributions ($4^{th}$ Century BC):

  • The philosopher and naturalist Aristotle identified the first parasitic copepod.

  • He classified these organisms, along with jellyfish, sponges, and ascidians (soft-bodied organisms), under the term "Zoophyta."

  • Definition of Zoophyta: A classification designating organisms as being midway between animals and plants.

  • This specific classification system persisted for hundreds of years.

• Gillaume Rondelet ($1507$):

  • Rondelet was a French zoologist.

  • He is credited with creating the first image of a parasitic copepod in $1554$.

  • The illustration depicts the organism located on the right side and above the gills of a tuna.

• History of Copepod Discovery:

  • Free-living copepods: Discovery occurred later than parasitic varieties.

  • Stephan Blankaart ($1688$): Drew the first recorded illustration of a free-living freshwater copepod, possibly belonging to the genus Calanus.

  • Carl Linnaeus ($1707-1778$): Known as the