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Plankton
What are Plankton?
 Organisms that exist adrift in the ocean,
unable to swim against currents and
waves.
 Most (but not all) are very small. They
include cyanobacteria, diatoms,
dinoflagellates, various larvae, and
jellyfish (which we will examine later).
Characteristics of all cells
 Have selectively permeable membranes
 Contain DNA as genetic material
 Contain cytoplasm
 Have Ribosomes
Two types of cells:
contrast Prok’s and Euk’s
 Prokaryotes
 Eukaryotes
Plankton: some examples
of each
Eukaryotes include
Prokaryotes include
 Cyanobacteria, also called
Blue Green Algae
 Thermophillic Bacteria in
deep sea vents
 Fecal Coliforms like E. coli
 Phytoplankton like
Protists and Marine
Plants
 Zooplankton like
Jellyfish, Meroplankton
(larval animals), and
Holoplankton (forever
tiny ie:copepods)
Phytoplankton Zooplankton
Who are the phytoplankton?
Homework
Part 1: 4-15 to 4-18
 Diatoms
 Dinoflagellates
 Coccolithophores
 Cyanobacteria
The attack of the killer algae
Harmful algal blooms (HABs)
HAB’s
 Or “red tides”: but not always red, and not
related to tides
 Mostly from dinoflagellates, a few
diatoms
 Associated with high supply of nutrients
 Toxins a byproduct of metabolism–
neurotoxins, paralytic, diarrhetic, amnesic
 Indirect poisoning thru food web:
 People eat fish or shellfish that eat the
Dinoflagellates
Homework Part 2
 Visit the HAB’s website, then draw and
describe the life cycle of a dinoflagellate
 http://www.whoi.edu/website/redtide/home
 How do ocean currents affect these
blooms?