Different Types of Planktons
The name ‘Plankton’ is derived from Greek adjective “πλαγκτός,” meaning “errant.” Planktons is the name for the trillions small and microscopic organisms floating in the sea or fresh water. Typically, planktons flow with ocean currents since some of them are incapable of swimming against a current. They have the most important role in the marine food chain by providing a crucial source of food to many large aquatic organisms, such as fish and whales.
Planktons are rather be defined by their ecological niche than their taxonomic classification. Planktons itself can be divided based on their sizes or their board functional (tropic level) groups. Planktons that are divided by their tropic level group such as:
· Phytoplankton: (Autotrophic, prokaryotic and eukaryotic algae) One of the most important plants in the sunlit zone is also the smallest above all others. Phytoplankton lives near the surface on the water in order to get sufficient light for photosynthesis. This plankton uses photosynthesis as their energy, although some get additional energy by consuming other organisms. They are the main producer of the marine food chain, providing source of foods for other larger organisms. Phythoplankton groups are included the diatoms, cyanobacteria, dinoflagellates, and coccolithophores.
· Zooplankton: Small protozoans or metazoans that feed on other planktons. These ocean animals don’t swim at all or are very weak swimmers, usually they drift and move along the ocean currents. Zooplankton varies in size from tiny microbes to jellyfish, although most of them are single-celled organisms. There are two types of zooplankton, the permanent that will always be a zooplankton is named holoplankton, meanwhile the temporary is named meroplankton, they are made up of the larvae of the fish, crustaceans and other marine animals.
· Bacterioplankton: Includes bacteria and archaea, they play an important role in transforming organic molecules to inorganic forms (remineralising) organic material down the water column.
By: Diemas Ekakarina Prihandini
Planktons are rather be defined by their ecological niche than their taxonomic classification. Planktons itself can be divided based on their sizes or their board functional (tropic level) groups. Planktons that are divided by their tropic level group such as:
· Phytoplankton: (Autotrophic, prokaryotic and eukaryotic algae) One of the most important plants in the sunlit zone is also the smallest above all others. Phytoplankton lives near the surface on the water in order to get sufficient light for photosynthesis. This plankton uses photosynthesis as their energy, although some get additional energy by consuming other organisms. They are the main producer of the marine food chain, providing source of foods for other larger organisms. Phythoplankton groups are included the diatoms, cyanobacteria, dinoflagellates, and coccolithophores.
· Zooplankton: Small protozoans or metazoans that feed on other planktons. These ocean animals don’t swim at all or are very weak swimmers, usually they drift and move along the ocean currents. Zooplankton varies in size from tiny microbes to jellyfish, although most of them are single-celled organisms. There are two types of zooplankton, the permanent that will always be a zooplankton is named holoplankton, meanwhile the temporary is named meroplankton, they are made up of the larvae of the fish, crustaceans and other marine animals.
· Bacterioplankton: Includes bacteria and archaea, they play an important role in transforming organic molecules to inorganic forms (remineralising) organic material down the water column.
By: Diemas Ekakarina Prihandini