Phytoplankton (/ˌfaɪtoʊˈplæŋktən/) 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'.[1][2][3]
Phytoplankton obtain their energy through photosynthesis, as trees and other plants do on land. This means phytoplankton must have light from the sun, so they live in the well-lit surface layers (euphotic zone) of oceans and lakes. In comparison with terrestrial plants, phytoplankton are distributed over a larger surface area, are exposed to less seasonal variation and have markedly faster turnover rates than trees (days versus decades). As a result, phytoplankton respond rapidly on a global scale to climate variations.
Phytoplankton form the base of marine and freshwater food webs and are key players in the global carbon cycle. They account for about half of global photosynthetic activity and at least half of the oxygen production, despite amounting to only about 1% of the global plant biomass. Phytoplankton are very diverse, varying from photosynthesizing bacteria to plant-like algae to armour-plated coccolithophores. Important groups of phytoplankton include the diatoms, cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates, although many other groups are represented.[2]
Most phytoplankton are too small to be individually seen with the unaided eye. However, when present in high enough numbers, some varieties may be noticeable as colored patches on the water surface due to the presence of chlorophyll within their cells and accessory pigments (such as phycobiliproteins or xanthophylls) in some species.
^Thurman, H. V. (2007). Introductory Oceanography. Academic Internet Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4288-3314-2.[page needed]
^ abPierella Karlusich, Juan José; Ibarbalz, Federico M.; Bowler, Chris (3 January 2020). "Phytoplankton in the Tara Ocean". Annual Review of Marine Science. 12 (1): 233–265. Bibcode:2020ARMS...12..233P. doi:10.1146/annurev-marine-010419-010706. ISSN 1941-1405. PMID 31899671. S2CID 209748051.
^Pierella Karlusich, Juan José; Ibarbalz, Federico M; Bowler, Chris (2020). "Exploration of marine phytoplankton: from their historical appreciation to the omics era". Journal of Plankton Research. 42: 595–612. doi:10.1093/plankt/fbaa049. hdl:11336/143676.
Phytoplankton (/ˌfaɪtoʊˈplæŋktən/) are the autotrophic (self-feeding) components of the plankton community and a key part of ocean and freshwater ecosystems...
Freshwater phytoplankton is the phytoplankton occurring in freshwater ecosystems. It can be distinguished between limnoplankton (lake phytoplankton), heleoplankton...
which are algal bloom events involving toxic or otherwise harmful phytoplankton. Many species can cause harmful algal blooms. For example, Gymnodinium...
the root of the word in the derivation. Some marine diatoms — a key phytoplankton group The amphipod Hyperia macrocephala – part of the zooplankton Plankton...
Phytoplankton are characterized as organisms which are unable to swim against a current and produce their own organic carbon via photosynthesis. They...
uppermost layer of a body of water that receives sunlight, allowing phytoplankton to perform photosynthesis. It undergoes a series of physical, chemical...
microscopic organisms called phytoplankton. It has been estimated that half of the world's oxygen is produced by phytoplankton. Larger autotrophs, such as...
chlorophyll pigment, which phytoplankton use to produce carbon by photosynthesis. Chlorophyll, a green pigment, makes phytoplankton preferentially absorb the...
currents in seas, lakes or rivers. Zooplankton can be contrasted with phytoplankton, which are the plant (or autotrophic) component of the plankton community...
strains the pumped water through its internal feeding filters, feeding on phytoplankton. Salps are common in equatorial, temperate, and cold seas, where they...
smokestacks or internal combustion engines, sulfate from volcanic activity, phytoplankton or the oxidation of sulfur dioxide and secondary organic matter formed...
creating a zone of upwelling nutrients. These nurture high levels of phytoplankton with associated copepods and krill, and resultant food chains supporting...
However, phytoplankton numbers are usually kept in check by the phytoplankton exhausting available nutrients and by grazing zooplankton. Phytoplankton consist...
iron sulfate) to iron-poor areas of the ocean surface to stimulate phytoplankton production. This is intended to enhance biological productivity and/or...
coccolithophorids, are single-celled organisms which are part of the phytoplankton, the autotrophic (self-feeding) component of the plankton community...
organisms known as phytoplankton. The second trophic level (primary consumers) is occupied by zooplankton which feed off the phytoplankton. Higher order consumers...
deeper areas of the water mass, reducing phytoplankton abundance beneath the surface. Overall, phytoplankton abundance and species composition within...
aquatic organism that feeds on planktonic food, including zooplankton and phytoplankton. Planktivorous organisms encompass a range of some of the planet's smallest...
forms the general foundation of the ocean food chain, particularly phytoplankton which are key primary producers. Marine invertebrates exhibit a wide...
cycle responsible for the cycling of organic matter formed mainly by phytoplankton during photosynthesis (soft-tissue pump), as well as the cycling of...
kilometers below ocean sediments. Fungi are hypothesized to contribute to phytoplankton population cycles and the biological carbon pump and are active in the...
are often found under sea ice, as evidenced by ice algae, the rate of phytoplankton growth is substantially higher in the open water of a polynya. The primary...
prokaryotes archaea and bacteria. Diatoms are a type of plankton called phytoplankton, the most common of the plankton types. Diatoms also grow attached to...
rich layers known as sapropels. Scientists have reported an annual phytoplankton bloom that can be seen in many NASA images of the region. As a result...
organic matter surrounding a phytoplankton cell. This area is high in nutrients due to extracellular waste from the phytoplankton cell and it has been suggested...
hypothetical surface mixing depth where phytoplankton growth is precisely matched by losses of phytoplankton biomass within the depth interval. This concept...
deplete the shared resources, thus decimating the inferior population. Phytoplankton life is diverse at all phylogenetic levels despite the limited range...
measure chlorophyll concentrations based on chlorophyll fluorescence by phytoplankton cell pigments. Chlorophyll fluorescence is a widely-used proxy for the...
consistent atomic ratio of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus found in marine phytoplankton and throughout the deep oceans. The term is named for American oceanographer...
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