Plankton Portal Talk

Science stuff about plankton

  • yshish by yshish moderator, translator

    I've just came across this article about a new study published this week in Nature Scientific Reports which reveals the importance of omega-3 fatty acids for the health of the ocean.

    "This research shows that copepods play a vital role in maintaining a healthy ocean depend on omega-3's to survive. They rank amongst the most abundant animals on our planet. They get omega-3's from eating microscopic plants in the sea (diatoms) that absorb carbon from the atmosphere. This carbon then gets transported into the deep sea by sinking copepod poo, stopping it returning to the atmosphere. Copepods are also a key source of food for fish larvae, therefore an abundance of copepods results in lots of fish as well as an ocean better able to remove carbon from the atmosphere."

    ...

    "The lead author of this study, Dr Daniel Mayor, said: Copepods are in many ways analogous to wildebeest on the plains of Africa. They undertake a spectacular annual migration, descending over 1 km into the deep ocean to spend winter in a state of suspended animation after fattening up in spring. This is equivalent to you having to walk 875km before being allowed to sleep off your Sunday roast."

    ...

    "Diatoms 'bloom' in the spring. It is thought that since the start of the diatom bloom is controlled by day length, whereas copepod growth is controlled by water temperature, global warming will increasingly separate copepods from their source of omega-3's."

    More here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150917110116.htm

    Posted

  • yshish by yshish moderator, translator

    Hah, I've just found this drawings of #Copepod (Cyclops quadricornis) by H. Durrant while classifying in the Science Gossip project πŸ˜ƒ

    !

    source: Hardwicke's Science-Gossip

    Posted

  • yshish by yshish moderator, translator

    And here is an interesting article showing a #Sipho #Corncob of Nanomia bijuga species using its sophisticated, multi-jet propulsion system based on an elegant division of labor among young and old members of the colony.

    Check out the whole article and the other video capturing locomotion of N. bijuga: http://www.mbl.edu/blog/marine-animal-colony-is-a-multi-jet-swimming-machine-scientists-report/

    Posted

  • yshish by yshish moderator, translator

    β€˜Monster in a Barrel,’ and Other Spooky Ocean Drifters

    An interesting article about Phronimas and some other plankton you know from PP data sets, with gorgeous images by Christian Sardet (from the Plankton Chronicles)

    Phronima sedentaria is a type of hyperiid amphipod, or small crustacean, that preys on gelatinous plankton, such as salps. The free-floating organism is equipped with claw-like appendages that slice open its victims, enabling the creature to crawl in and devour the soft tissues from the inside out. It then uses the leftover bits of the prey’s body to build a gelatinous protective home, or barrel, where females can deposit their young.

    ![Ph](http://www.sciencefriday.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/photo-4_163-credit-Christian-Sardet-CNRS--Tara-Oceans--Plankton-Chronicles-project_resized-e1446150160618.jpg =330x) ![LT](http://www.sciencefriday.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/photo-5-credit-Christian-Sardet-CNRS--Tara-Oceans--Plankton-Chronicles-project_composite.jpg =400x)

    Jellyfish are contact feeders. In these photos, the Liriope tetraphylla has captured a juvenile fish with one of its tentacles (a single tentacle can be studded with thousands of individual stinging cells called nemoatocysts). The Liriope then stretched its flexible mouth over the entire body, sucked the life from the fish, and spat out the dried corpse. Jellyfish are fierce predators, says Sardet. They can gobble up surprisingly large fish and crustaceans.

    Click here to read the full article:

    http://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/monster-in-a-barrel-and-other-spooky-ocean-drifters/

    Posted

  • yshish by yshish moderator, translator

    Not very scientific, but there are some nice close-ups of plankton in colourful video, many of the species we are use to see on the PP.

    http://www.buzzfeed.com/alexkasprak/these-microscopic-sea-creatures-will-make-you-feel-things

    Posted

  • elizabeth_s by elizabeth_s moderator

    πŸ˜ƒ I am going to try to add this one. enter image description here

    Posted

  • yshish by yshish moderator, translator in response to elizabeth_s's comment.

    Thanks, @elizabeth_s πŸ˜ƒ This is a perfect illustration of #Radiolarian!! Just would like to mention that it comes from another Zooniverse project, Science Gossip, where we annotate illustrations from historical scientific journals. There are wonderful illustrations of many planktonic organisms in some of them! πŸ˜ƒ

    Posted

  • elizabeth_s by elizabeth_s moderator in response to yshish's comment.

    Indeed I agree but at least I was able to get this one posted. Working on my less than perfect computer skills here.! πŸ˜ƒ LOL

    Posted

  • yshish by yshish moderator, translator in response to elizabeth_s's comment.

    I see πŸ˜ƒ You're doing great!!

    Posted

  • elizabeth_s by elizabeth_s moderator

    πŸ˜ƒ enter image description here

    Posted

  • yshish by yshish moderator, translator in response to elizabeth_s's comment.

    Awesome!! Keep posting πŸ˜‰

    Posted

  • elizabeth_s by elizabeth_s moderator

    ok projectcrossover here from Science Gossipenter image description here

    Posted

  • yshish by yshish moderator, translator

    I've found a nice food chain of plankton graphic you could be interested in:

    fc

    Source

    Posted

  • AvastMH by AvastMH

    Hello All, Randi on OldWeather found some interesting articles about icebergs and plankton that I thought you might like to see. It deals with the effect of icebergs on the carbon levels in our atmosphere, courtesy of the plankton. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35280895

    There are three other links about plankton at the end of the article.

    When I report sea ice/icebergs on OldWeather from now onwards I'll be thinking of plankton too πŸ˜ƒ

    Happy classifying!
    Joan (AvastMH)

    Posted

  • elizabeth_s by elizabeth_s moderator in response to AvastMH's comment.

    Wow very cool! Thanks for sharing. πŸ˜ƒ

    Posted

  • yshish by yshish moderator, translator

    Here is an interesting article about Siphonophores which answers some questions: http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2014/09/23/jellyfish-siphonophore-gulf-of-mexico-science-animals-deep-sea-discovery/

    Check it out!

    Posted

  • mkmcguir by mkmcguir

    Copepods on Science Friday (for like one minute)! Talking about how El Nino affects the globe. http://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/what-el-nino-means-for-other-parts-of-the-planet/

    Posted