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Forage fish occupy middle levels in the food web, serving as a dominant prey to higher level fish, seabirds and mammals. [28] Predator fish; Ground fish; Other marine vertebrates. In 2010, researchers found whales carry nutrients from the depths of the ocean back to the surface using a process they called the whale pump. [29]
The waste is not only 'waste' but also an important food source. Bacteria remineralize and recycle the organic matter back to the main oceanic food web. Sea water transport organisms, which facilitates the food capture and fertilization. Many settled bottom organisms use their tentacles to catch planktonic food.
Plankton are defined by their ecological niche, not by any phylogenetic or taxonomic classification. They are a crucial source of food for many marine animals, from forage fish to whales. Plankton can be divided into a plant-like component and an animal component.
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'.
This zone has lower temperatures, is fairly well-lit, and is occupied by a smaller variety of organisms, including phytoplankton, zooplankton, and fish. [7] The plankton found in this zone play a crucial role in the food web of the habitat and support the diet of many important organisms.
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Recent studies of marine microzooplankton found 30–45% of the ciliate abundance was mixotrophic, and up to 65% of the amoeboid, foram and radiolarian biomass was mixotrophic. [5] Phaeocystis is an important algal genus found as part of the marine phytoplankton around the world.
A planktivore is an aquatic organism that feeds on planktonic food, including zooplankton and phytoplankton. [1] [2] Planktivorous organisms encompass a range of some of the planet's smallest to largest multicellular animals in both the present day and in the past billion years; basking sharks and copepods are just two examples of giant and microscopic organisms that feed upon plankton.