If you were to visit my classroom back at Parishville-Hopkinton Central School and ask my ecology students what's my favorite group of organisms, they would say Plankton.I guess it just amazes me the variety of life that can exist in a drop of water.
The basis of aquatic food chains.
A copepod.A type of zooplankton.
Plankton can be described as any free floating microscopic organism (not to be confused with Sponge Bob's evil nemesis).Most plankton is quite small and requires a microscope to observe. They are typically measured in units called microns, which are 1/1,000,000^th of a meter. Plankton can be found in both fresh and salt water. Plankton is typically divided into 2 main categories, Phytoplankton and Zooplankton. Zooplankton have animal like characteristics. They must eat and move to survive. Besides the copepod shown above other zooplankton include , paramecium, euglena and amoeba.
This pictures shows a few species of diatoms with their glass like shells
This one is self-explanatory
Phytoplankton has the ability to produce their own food as they have chloroplasts. They are called algae. One particular group of algae called diatoms actually produces a glasslike shell. Once they die these shells fall to the bottom and make up much of the sediment. These types of phytoplankton are significant to the cruise. The micro paleontologists (Dr. Amy Leventer and Dr. Amelia Shevenell ) on board will use the sediment collected from the core sampling to find ancient diatoms. I will feature the work of the micro paleontologists later on in the cruise.
Dr. Leanne Armand using an inverted microscope to find plankton
Our expedition's specialist of plankton is Dr. Leanne Armand. Dr. Armand collects and analyzes the plankton samples daily. She uses a special cone shaped net with a very fine mesh to gather the organisms and an inverted microscope to observe them. It gives a clearer view of the specimens. The specimens lay on the bottom of the slide reducing the need for adjustments.
Plankton holds many clues to the health and history of Antarctic waters. To put it best I will leave you with a passage from the book Endurance. A fascinating book about the incredible true adventure the Shackletonexpedition to Antarctica, "In the Antarctic, plankton-tiny one-celled plants and animals-is the basis for all life. The smallest fishes subsist on it, and they in turn become the food of larger fish, which are eaten by squids and seals and penguins, who constitute the food for killer whales, sea leopards, and giant sperm whales. The cycle of life begins with plankton, and when it is present, the other creatures of the Antarctic are never far behind."
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