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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