Plankton

The wanderers, drifting on the surface

of the sea….

Main Types of Plankton

Phytoplankton or zooplankton

Diatoms

Dinoflagellates

Coccolithophores

Cyanobacteria

larvae

Microbial Plankton Ecology

One of the hot new topics in marine biology

Each liter of seawater contains 5 billion bacteria

100 million times more bacteria in ocean than stars

Bacteria mass > zooplankton + fish mass

Marine Viruses

Affect nutrient cycling

10 billion per liter

Most common biologic agents in the sea

Responsible for waterborne illness

1000x more oceanic viruses than bacteria

Carbon mass in viruses = C mass of 75 million blue whales

Picoplankton

Extremely tiny

0.2 – 2 micrometers

Account for 79% of photosynthesis in tropics

Cyanobacteria are picoplankton

Play a significant role in producing oxygen and fixing nitrogen, making vitamins, and taking up carbon dioxide

Feed heterotrophic plankton

Cyanobacteria (Cyanophyta)

Used to be called blue-green algae

Significant component of nitrogen cycle

Produced most of the oxygen in the atmosphere

Stromatolites –oldest fossils in Australia

Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus are most plentiful species on earth

1 ml of seawater contains 100,000 cells

Some are red/ give flamingos color

Pigments: chlorophyll a, phycoerythrin + phycocyanin

Cyanothece 51142. Liberton M et al. Plant Physiol. 2010;155:1656-1666

©2011 by American Society of Plant Biologists

Transmission Electron Micrograph of Cyanobacteria

In extreme habitats

Picoplankton illustrated

Diatoms – like glass jewel boxes

2 kinds: centric (circular) and pennate (oblong)

Frustule (silica shell)

centricpennate

Diatoms are:-the most dominant and productive of phytoplankton-the most efficient photosynthesizers known

Diatoms look brown frozen in ice

Exquisite Diatoms

Images taken with ascanning electron microscope

Coccolithophores

Shells of calcium carbonate

Live in shallow brightly lit water, especially in tropics

Areas with high concentrations appear milky

Foraminifera

Dinoflagellates – the second most abundant phytoplankton

Have one or two flagella used for motion

Zooxanthellae live inside coral polyps where they are the most significant primary producers

Reproduce quickly

Mixotropic

parasites

Plankton bloom

Occurs whenever there is an abundance of nutrients

caused by mixing of water layers

caused by upwelling of deeper currents

caused by pollution

limited by thermoclines

Plankton bloom

Also called harmful algal bloom

May be a red tide

Dinoflagellates: Red Tidesoften the cause of “red tides” or blooms

of toxic or non-toxic cells

blooms may cause mass mortalities of marine and freshwater organisms

contain toxins that are accumulated by shellfish and cause PSP (Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning)

The numbers are representative values of the concentration in the tissues of dinoflagellate toxin (ppm)

Primary producers

Primary consumers

Secondary consumers

Tertiary consumers

0.04 ppm

0.23 ppm

2.07 ppm

13.8 ppm

Plankton bloom from space, and under arctic ice

Bioluminescence in Dinoflagellates

Sparkling blue-green light emitted at night as a 0.1 sec flash

Noctiluca – Latin for night shine

maximum bioluminescence occurs just before dawn, following a sunny day

Occurs when mechanically stimulated, by boat, waves or swimming fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZVvIWI2psU ocean waves

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IThAD5yKrgE&list=TLw8twpVGoyei1T2EVfkIq2muux10N2OiW surfing in a red tide

The Reaction

Contain luciferase, an enzyme, and luciferin, a chlorophyll-derived ring that acts as a substrate in the light-producing reaction

Dinoflagellate luciferin

Bioluminescent Bay in Puerto Rico

http://biobay.com/

Vieques, Puerto Rico

http://www.kayakingpuertorico.com/pages/biobay.html

Fajardo, Puerto Rico

“Must must see!”Reviewed September 5, 2013 trip advisor One of the top 10 things I have ever done in my life. Go late at night, on a night with little or no moon to see them the best. Doesn't really matter what tour you book with, do whatever is cheapest/available on the darkest night. It was like Avatar meets Pocahontas.

Biobay in Puerto Rico

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJjdEAjDTxc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeXhkv_DmdM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Dk-sNnMsCY

Edith Widder: Glowing life in an underwater world

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IThAD5yKrgE

Ted talk 17 min skip 9:20 to 10:40

http://www.teamorca.org/cfiles/bioluminescence.cfm

Take the dive to see bioluminescence

http://www.teamorca.org/cfiles/biolum_how.cfm

How they make light