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Phytoplankton (/ ˌ f aɪ t oʊ ˈ p l æ ŋ k t ə n /) are the autotrophic (self-feeding) components of the plankton community and a key part of ocean and freshwater ecosystems.The name comes from the Greek words φυτόν (phyton), meaning 'plant', and πλαγκτός (planktos), meaning 'wanderer' or 'drifter'.
Ocean particulate organic matter (POM) as imaged by a satellite in 2011 Cycling of marine phytoplankton. Phytoplankton live in the photic zone of the ocean, where photosynthesis is possible. During photosynthesis, they assimilate carbon dioxide and release oxygen. If solar radiation is too high, phytoplankton may fall victim to photodegradation.
Marine plankton include bacteria, archaea, algae, protozoa, microscopic fungi, [4] and drifting or floating animals that inhabit the saltwater of oceans and the brackish waters of estuaries. Freshwater plankton are similar to marine plankton, but are found in lakes and rivers.
Since phytoplankton need the sun’s rays to produce energy, they are usually found close to the surface of the water. Now, zooplankton are animals. They feed on nutrients in the water ...
They produce 25–45% of the total primary production of organic material in the oceans, [58] [59] [60] owing to their prevalence in open-ocean regions when total phytoplankton biomass is maximal. [61] [62] Diatoms are enclosed in protective silica (glass) shells called frustules. They are classified by the shape of these glass cages in which ...
They are especially important in oceans, where a 2003 study found that they contribute an estimated 45% of the total oceanic primary production of organic material. [75] However, a more recent 2016 study estimates that the number is closer to 20%. [76] Spatial distribution of marine phytoplankton species is restricted both horizontally and ...
Seaweeds are found along coastal areas, living on the floor of continental shelves and washed up in intertidal zones. Some seaweeds drift with plankton in the sunlit surface waters (epipelagic zone) of the open ocean. Back in the Silurian, some phytoplankton evolved into red, brown and green algae.
During the 1930s Alfred C. Redfield found similarities between the composition of elements in phytoplankton and the major dissolved nutrients in the deep ocean. [177] Redfield proposed that the ratio of carbon to nitrogen to phosphorus (106:16:1) in the ocean was controlled by the phytoplankton's requirements, as phytoplankton subsequently ...