Plankton Diversity and the Oceans Food Webs

Planktos is Greek for wanderer. Not only is it the root word applied to the points
of light that wander in the night sky in a path apart from that of the
constellations, but it is where the word plankton comes from. Plankton are
small organisms that drift on the currents, and are found not just in oceans but in
bays, lakes, and even small ponds. Some plankton are animals, and some are
plants. There are even some single-celled organisms, having characteristics of
both plants and animals. Almost all marine invertebrates and most fish (except
sharks) are planktonic in their early stages. All marine plants have a planktonic
stage.
Plankton are of interest to ecologists because they are the base of the food web
for the ocean. Almost all life in the oceans depends upon the plankton, so an
appreciation of this microscopic diversity is important to understanding why
little things are such a big deal.
In this lab well examine plankton collected from our coastal waters. The types
of organisms captured depends upon numerous factors: the location where the
sample is collected, the time of day the collection is made, the size of the
plankton net mesh used, and the time of year.
These microscopic organisms typically are transparent, so look into their bodies
and see what parts are actively pumping, contracting, or flowing. Hearts, cilia,
flagella, jaws, and circulatory fluids are just some moving components of these
life machines.
Obtaining Plankton
Our trusty lab assistant has already obtained plankton samples by doing a tow
off of the Cabrillo Biology Department's 100ft oceanographic research vessel, the
cement ship at Seacliff State Beach. This state-of-the-art, zero-budget vessel is
ideal for collecting near-shore samples of plankton during regular park hours.
Samples are best freshly obtained the morning of the lab period, and contained in
refrigerated bottles until lab starts. Why must it be refrigerated? When the
specimens are ready for examination, use an pipette to extract a sample. DO
NOT agitate the container, but rather, suck up a SMALL amount - just a drop or
two - from the surface and examine it. Next, examine a sample from the middle
of the bottle, and finally take a sample from the bottom. Since organisms tend to
stratify themselves, you should see some differences in which organisms occur in
which strata. There will be two different samples taken, one with a very fine
mesh for sampling the smaller phytoplankton, and a second sample using a
coarser net that only catches the larger phytoplankton and zooplankton.

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Keying Out Microplankton

copepod

Shape is the first thing that one

notices when trying to identify a
planktonic organism. Size is not a
good characteristic, and under a
microscope it can be a difficult thing
for a novice to determine.
1

a) Kite- or tablet-shaped, with

paired projections; large,
active and common..............2
b) Not as above.............................3
a) Three pair of short legs, two
long, laterally-projecting
antennae ................. copepod
b) As above, but antennae absent
....................... nauplius stage

a) Wine glass shape with stem

broken off; tiny; if alive, lip
is ciliated................ tintinnid
b) Not as above.............................4

a) Barrel shape with paired,

ciliated "wheels"; perhaps
with a forked, telescoping
tail; contracting jaws look
like beating heart; highly
active ............................ rotifer
b) Not as above.............................5

a) Shape is round, globular, or

spherical ................................6
b) Not as above...........................12

a) Spinning or rolling very

rapidly .....................blastula
b) Not as above.............................7

nauplius

alive
tintinnid

dead

some rotifers

blastula

a) Looks like a clear lily pad,

with a slowly moving stalk
............................. Noctiluca
b) Not as above.............................8

Noctiluca

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a) Jellyfish-like, with tentacles

...................... Obelia medusa
b) Not as above.............................9

Obelia
medusa

a) Spines radiating from central

globular mass..... radiolarian
b) Not as above...........................10

radiolarian

10 a) Aspirin-shaped or flattened,
looks like a CD & may show
same iridescence
diatom
b) Not as above...........................11
11 a) Sphere shape, with cilia in
rows..................... ctenophore
b) Sphere within a sphere, no
obvious features .............. egg

diatoms

ctenophore

12 a) Triangular shape ...................13

b) Not as above...........................15

egg

13 a) Non-motile, golden-brown,
with radiating lines...diatom
b) Not as above...........................14

diatom

14 a) Has anterior ciliated band

.......polychaete trochophore
b) Shaped like shield, 3 pairs of
legs ..........barnacle nauplius

trochophore larva

15 a) Worm-like ..............................16
b) Not as above...........................21
16 a) Segmented; has bristles or
setae; very active if alive
..............................polychaete
b) Non-segmented .....................17

barnacle
nauplius

17 a) Tube-like, ends tapered

................................nematode
b) Arrow-like, with anterior jaws
........................... chaetognath

polychaete

nematode

chaetognath

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18 a) Shaped like shooting star or

comet: rounded front and rear
protruding "legs" echinoderm pluteus
b) Not as above...........................19

echinoderm
pluteus larva

19 a) Has notochord and tail ........20

b) Not as above...........................21

larval fish

20 a) Has large eyes, looks like

larval fish.............. larval fish
b) Tadpole-like ......tunicate larva

tunicate larva

21 a) Chain-like or segmented .....22

b) Not as above...........................24

chain
diatoms

22 a) Has bristles ............................23

b) No bristles; may be spiral or
circular .............chain diatom
23 a) Moves about ..........polychaete
b) Symmetrical, non-motile
............................Chaetoceros
24 a) Body compact, spiny ............25
b) Not as above...........................32

polychaete

25 a) Like a swimming mustache

.................. larval polychaete
b) Not as above...........................26

Chaetoceros

26 a) Has spines radiating out from

central globular mass
............................. radiolarian
b) Not as above...........................27

larval polychaetes

27 a) Tiny, cup-shaped with spines

on lip & base; girdlegroove;
spins ............... dinoflagellate
b) Not as above...........................28

radiolarian

28 a) Shaped as peach pit or shield;

paired legs; may have large
antennae and eyespot ........29
b) Not as above...........................31

dinoflagellates

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29 a) Very large, twitching

antennae ....... adult copepod
b) Lacking antennae ..................31

copepod

30 a) Shield with two "horns"

.................barnacle nauplius
b) Shield lacks "horns"
.................copepod nauplius

copepod
nauplius

31 a) Large and obvious eyespot;

perhaps looking shrimp- or
crab-like
........................ decapod larva
b) Lacks large, obvious eyespot;
looks like adult copepod
viewed from the side with
antennae at its sides
........adult copepod side view

barnacle nauplius

decapod
larvae

32 a) Shell shape is tear-drop or

elliptical ..............................33
b) Not as above............go back to 1
larval
bivalve

33 a) Two-part shell .......................34

b) Spiral shell ..............................36
34 a) Looks just like transparent,
tiny clam ........larval bivalve
b) Not as above...........................36

Cladocera

35 a) Has large compound eye and

two branched swimming
appendages ......... cladoceran
b) Lacks large compound eye,
has jointed legs extending
out of shell
...... cyprid larva of barnacle

cyprid
foraminiferans

36 a) Test of ever-larger chambers;

pores may be visible
........................ foraminiferan
b) Shell resembles a snail's;
animal may be ciliated
....................larval gastropod
larval
gastropod

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Notes On Commonly-Seen Creatures

Barnacle larvae We think of them as sessile, but barnacles pass their early larval
stages in the plankton. Like most crustaceans, their first larval stage is called a
nauplius. They then molt into a mid-stage that settles to transform into an adult
barnacle.
Bivalve larvae These look like transparent clams. They also have the band of
beating cilia for locomotion, which is typical of many zooplankton.
Blastula After fertilization, an egg cell cleaves into two, four, eight, 16, and
many cells. Using up yolk energy in this process makes the egg become a hollow
ball of cells called a blastula. It is covered with cilia that make it spin fast, aiding
diffusion of respiratory gases, nutrients, and wastes.
Chaetoceros This chain diatom has with many long projecting spines. Its name
means bristle (Chaeto) horn (ceros: as in the three-horned dinosaur, Triceratops).
These protect them from predators and increase its surface area so it doesn't sink.
Copepods The most abundant animals in the plankton, these cows of the sea eat
phytoplankton, and pass through a nauplius stage. They move with a jerky
motion as their large anterior antennae thrust rearward like giant oars to propel
them forward.
Decapod larvae Coming in many forms, these larvae usually have projecting
spines, helping to protect them from predators by making them too sharp or too
big to swallow.
Diatoms These single-celled marine plants have a two-part test of silica (glass),
and often form chains that are straight, spiral, and may (as with Chaetoceros) be
adorned with spines.
Dinoflagellates Tiny and single-celled, these creatures swim with one flagellum
and spin on their axis with another thats wrapped around their characteristic
girdle. They often contain toxins and huge blooms produce "red tides". Bivalves
eat them in great numbers in the warmer months: the resulting biological
magnification of their toxins makes shellfish dangerous to eat and hence
quarantined at these times.
Egg What every animal starts out as. They are spherical, and the nucleus, yolk,
or oil droplets can typically be seen in them. Sometimes they are found in a
cluster.
Foraminiferans These "window bearers" have perforated tests made of CaCO3 chalk. Indeed, this is where chalk comes from. They are single-celled
photosynthesizers.
Gastropod larva These have a light, transparent snail shell. Some pelagic species
retain it into adulthood. Note the beating cilia used in locomotion.

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Larval fish Most fish start out as planktonic predators. Early stages will still
have a colored yolk sac integral with the abdomen
Nauplius stage See Barnacles and Copepods.
Noctiluca A single celled creature that has animal and plant features. It is
photosynthetic, but its "stalk" wiggles about actively, perhaps to increase
diffusion by disrupting the surface boundary layer. Noctiluca (night light) is
named for its bioluminescence. Their glow is seen at night when they are jarred
by a physical disturbance such as a breaking wave or the bow wave of a boat.
During heat spells they undergo "blooms"; population explosions which can turn
the ocean's surface a cloudy pink color.
Obelia medusa Looking like a miniature jellyfish, as adults they settle
benthically to form branching clonal colonies. Observe the contracting bell
margin, a movement used for swimming.
Oikopleura
These organisms look like a fish larva and are equally large,
translucent, but with a longer tail. They are filter-feeders, and while closely
related to tunicates, they remain in the plankton.
Polychaetes These "many bristled" segmented worms are active and obvious,
although their early larval stages can be confusing at first. Like a puppy's feet,
their bristles are oversized for their bodies but they will grow into them. As
noted, some look like gliding mustaches. Examine the apical ciliary band used
for locomotion. In mature specimens, look for dorsal blood vessels pumping
blood.
Radiolarians Back before the days of TV, radiolarians were a popular form of
entertainment for marine biologists. Their projecting spines likely serve the
usual functions: flotation and predator defense.
Rotifera These "wheel bearers" cruise through the water like small spaceships,
propelled by wheel-like cilia clusters. Look for contraction of their jaws inside
their body - it looks like a beating heart.
Tintinnid Tiny and delicate, these are normally found dead in a plankton tow.
But scan carefully for a live one and you can see the crown of cilia beating.
Trochophore A larval stage of both annelids and molluscs, which reflects their
common ancestry. Characterized by a "top" shape and a band of cilia.
Tunicate larva Actually called a tadpole larva due to their striking similarity to a
tadpole, they of course are quite similar to Oikopleura (see above). However, they
are darkly pigmented. As with Obelia medusae, they will settle and become
clonal colonies incapable of swimming.