Some of the most important things in the world are tiny. All creatures on the Earth eat something, and this hierarchy of dining is called the food chain. The smallest of all is the phytoplankton, and it feeds some of the biggest animals around.
Derived from the Greek words meaning “a plant which is made to float or drift around” these tiny things have many different forms. Some are bacteria, some are protists, and most are single celled plants.
As with most creatures, there is considerable diversity even within a group. The reasonably well-known blue-green algae, properly known as cyanobacteria, is one such type. This bacteria is able to photosynthesize, and draws its energy from sunlight.
One of the easiest ways to broadly differentiate between this huge diversity of microscopic plant life is to categorize them according to mobility. Of the two resulting groups, the larger is comprised of what are called diatoms. They are largely non-motile.
Diatoms are generally single celled creatures, though they may live in larger groups. Because these creatures cannot propel themselves, they rely on the upwelling currents to keep them afloat near the sunny surface. Their shell structures are to heavy to allow floating, so it is a perpetual cycle of bloom and bust for them.
The physical structures of diatoms is widely varied, as is usually the case with microscopic life. Telling them apart is made easier with another basic criterion of discrimination involving the actual shape of the cell. Distinguishing between circular, square, elliptical, and triangular morphology is reasonably easy to do.
The other large and basic group is made up of what are called dinoflagellates. Named for the whip tails which they use to move around, these are primary producers and extremely important to the food chain.
Not only are these microscopic plant forms of considerable importance to the perpetuation of life in the oceans, they are very useful for us here on land. Possibly the most exciting projected use of diatoms in particular would be in the field of nanotechnology. One of the properties of planktonic diatoms is the reliable manufacturing of silica in particular nano-scale structures.
Possibly the most important thing that these small floating organisms do is to contribute massively to the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the atmosphere. All plants do this, and it is necessary to all life on Earth.
Unnoticed until their numbers swell to the billions, tiny phytoplankton proves that small things can be important. Without these microscopic organisms there might not be as much life on Earth.
It is definitely time for you to educate yourself regarding marine phytoplankton. We can tell you all regarding phytoplankton right now. Find out more regarding the basic food of whales.