Phytoplankton/Plankton Types Flashcards
Plankton (general classification)
weakly swimming organisms, cannot travel against current
Phytoplankton
Autotrophs, draw energy from sunlight
Zooplankton
hetertrophs, bigger than phytoplankton has to eat in order to live
Nekton
organisms that actually actually move against currents but fairly slowly
plankton collection methods
RV Meteor; Plankton net
Types of phytoplankton (1) Diatoms
dominant and most reproductive form of phytoplankton provides half of oxygen in the ocean
(2) Dinoflagellate
get energy from sun, they move through the water by their flagellas, create bad HABs, bad toxins and red tides; leads to alagal bloom
(3) cocolithphores
single celled, autotrophs covered in calcium carbonate
(4) Picoplankton
the smallest forms of phytoplankton; contributes to primary productivity
(5) Femtoplankton
smallest class of phytoplankton, invisible in light microscope, no metabolism, need a host organism to feed itself
Limiting factors of primary productivity (1)
Nutrient Availability
plankton blooms may occur which is algae in in freshwater systems and marines systems
Limiting Factors of primary productivity
Light Availabilty
little photosynthesis beyond 100 m into the ocean;
too much light can overwhelm photosynthetic chemistry in the ocean
Limiting Factors of primary productivity
Color Matter
Chlorophyll is the green pigment plants reflect, this is due to their reflection of red and violet light, at very deep ocean depths red can cannot relfect
Photic Zone
the point in the ocean at which light has trouble reaching
Euphotic Zone
photosnythesis exceeds respiration in the euphotic which is the surface of the ocean
Compensation Depth
at the compensation depth, O2 = consumption by respiration in photosynthesis
at this depth, autotrophs respire more than they consum
Net Primary Producitivty (NPP)
NPP= GPP - organic material spent in aerobic respiration in photosynthesis
Where is phytoplankton most abudant geographically
Nearshore regions; nutrient levels are much higher near continents than in open ocean
Where is phytoplankton most abudant geographically
Polar Regions; the winter seasons affect plankton producitivty, productivity ins much better in the summer time with 24-hour daylight times
Where is phytoplankton most abudant geographically
temperate and subpolar zones; provides most productivity amongst anything in the open ocean
- Plankton bloom
period of rapid phytoplankton growth where non conservative nutrients like iron are consumed and depleted
What are the two things that contribute to phytoplankton variance
season and latitude
Tropical Seasons for phytoplankton growth
Little variation,
very low year round
Global Distribution of phytoplantkon abundant productiivty in the world
coastal regions
Antarctica
temperate zones
equatorial zones
