OSX-2007 1st Plankton

Definition of Plankton

• Plankton are communities of plants, animals, bacterioplankton, and viruses, defined by insufficient locomotion to prevent passive transport by currents.

Classification of Plankton

• Holoplankton: Entire life spent in plankton.

• Meroplankton: Larval stages; temporary planktonic existence (e.g., sea urchins, crabs).

• Classified by size:

  • Nano and Microplankton (small fragments)

  • Mesoplankton

  • Macroplankton

  • Megaplankton (important for sampling).

Types of Phytoplankton and Zooplankton

• Phytoplankton: Includes diatoms (no flagellum) and dinoflagellates (with flagellum).

• Zooplankton: Includes copepods, barnacles, amphipods, and various larvae (e.g., crabs, polychaetes).

Importance of Plankton

• Drives global cycles and food web structure, contributes to ecosystem stability.

• Indicators of water quality and environmental changes (e.g., pollution, climate change impacts).

• Reservoir for diseases (e.g., Vibrio species), influencing human health.

Research Initiatives

• Projects like the Bluefish Project focus on plankton distribution and water quality in marine environments.

• Collecting data on plankton dynamics to inform fishing and environmental management.

Sampling and Methodology

• Plankton samples collected via nets; efficiency affected by net size and tow speed.

• Important to measure volume; flow meters used to calculate water volume passed through nets.

• Samples preserved on ship for lab analysis; identification of species requires careful methodology.

Data Collection and Analysis

• Sample analysis yields data on species density and composition (copepods, diatoms).

• Long-term datasets inform changes in plankton populations and environmental conditions.