Plankton

Plankton are animals and organisms that cannot move vertically in the ocean. Plankton can be as small a speck of dust to as large as a lion jellyfish. This blog is dedicated to educating you about all the amazing plankton in the sea. 

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Cuttlefish larvae

Cuttlefish are marine cephalopods, closely related to octopuses and squids. They are intelligent and carnivorous feeding on crabs, fish, and worms. The image above is a baby cuttlefish that has hatched from an egg. 

Photo credit

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/cuttlefish-newman--flowers.html

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Hard Clam

Mercenaria mercenaria

The Hard Clam is important to the ocean ecosystem because it filters water and delicious to eat. However, clams do not start off moving in the sand. They actually float in the ocean as zooplankton and eventually grow into the adult clam. The life cycle starts with adult clams releasing sperm and eggs into the ocean. The eggs are fertilized and grow into veligers. The veligers have tiny hair-like cilia that helps them move around and catch phytoplankton. After a few days, the veliger grows a foot and a buccal siphon, which is used to filter the water. Then, they eventually grow into adult clams after 2 to 3 years. Furthermore, clams can be produced in aquaculture, where they grow in an artificial environment.

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Polychaete worm larvae

Species: unknown

Polychaetes or bristle worms are marine worms that can be found in a variety of ocean habitats, such as marsh, ocean sand, algae covered rocks, or their own self made tubes. There are 10,000 species of bristle worms that have been identified, but there are many others yet to be discovered. Baby bristle worms are called larvae, and they float in the ocean for the first part of their life. 

Photo credit: http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/Annelids/Larva%20A3/index.htm

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/polychaeta

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Tintinnid ciliate

Tintinnid ciliates are tiny plankton that use ciliate or wispy hairs to move in the ocean. They also are protected by vase shaped shells called lorica. Scientist believe the lorcia is made of sand and minerals due to its transparency.

Photo credit: https://sites.evergreen.edu/vms-spring/tintinnid-ciliate/

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tintinnid_ciliate_Favella.jpg

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Porcelain Crab 

Porcellanidae

Zoea Larva

The tiny and delicate animal above is a baby porcelain crab in the zoea stage. Crabs go through several stages of growth, and they are temporarily platonic. The crab’s long spine is called a carapace and is used for floating in the water.

Photo credit:   http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/crustacea/Larvae/Larva1.htm

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Plankton

Plankton are organisms that float in the ocean that can not swim vertically. They can be as small as a speck of dirt or the size of a sunfish. When you you swim in the ocean, you are surrounded by plankton. They are vital to our planet and ocean ecosystem. Plankton are also responsible for 80% of the world’s oxygen! The picture above shows a variety of plankton that can be found in a single drop of water. 

Photo credit: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/plankton/

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Pram Bug

Phronima sedentaria

The Pram Bug is a deep sea amphipod that is located between 200 to 1000m in the ocean. They have a translucent exoskeleton and can see primarily blue light. It is also is contained in a hollowed out barrel that is used for protection and to house babies. The image above is a female pram bug carrying its young. 

Photo Credit:https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/invertebrates/phronima-female-and-young

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A cool deep sea plankton!

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Mantis Shrimp Larvae

Odontodactylus scyllarus

Adult Mantis Shrimp are aggressive predators that live tropical parts of the ocean. However, when they are babies, they are docile, microscopic creatures that float in the ocean. They larvae are at first translucent and then molt into the rainbow-colored adult. 

Photo-credit: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/383298618256901097/

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Bloody-belly comb jelly

Lampocteis cruentiventer

The Bloody-belly is a 16 cm ctenophore that is found at depths 700 m to 1200m. It is crimson red in color and appears black in the deep ocean. However, the jelly has the ability to emit a different color. Furthermore, it uses highly iridescent ctenes to propel through the water. 

Photo credit:  https://laughingsquid.com/bloody-belly-comb-jelly/

https://www.reddit.com/r/deepseacreatures/comments/2j1717/bloodbelly_comb_jelly_lampocteis_cruentiventer/

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Pyrodinium bahamense

Pyrodinium bahamense is a tropical species of dinoflagellates  that is found primarily in Atlantic Ocean waters. It prefers salinity around 20 psu and blooms when there are large amounts of nitrogen in the water. The dinoflagellate glows bright blue when agitated by motion. Furthermore, even though this plankton species is beautiful to look at, it causes seafood toxicity. 

Photo credit: https://alchetron.com/Pyrodinium-bahamense

https://wonderchews.com/bodies-of-light/

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Cyclotella meneghiniana

Cyclotella is a disk shaped diatom that is amber in color. It has marginal spines that are used to stay suspended in the water column. Furthermore, this phytoplankton is common in shallow nutrient rich water. 

Photo credit: https://diatoms.org/species/cyclotella_meneghiniana

http://nordicmicroalgae.org/taxon/Cyclotella%20meneghiniana?media_id=Cyclotella%20meneghiniana_1.jpg

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Antarctic Krill

Euphausia superba

Antarctic krill are tiny crustaceans characterized by a rigid exoskeleton that is translucent and covered in small red spots. They feed on phytoplankton and are a primary food source for many ocean species. Scientists have the ability to see its digestive glands and reproductive organs. Furthermore, Krill can produce 8000 eggs at a time. Protective mothers can carry their babies around until they are ready to hatch.

Photo credit: 

https://theconversation.com/climate-change-threatens-antarctic-krill-and-the-sea-life-that-depends-on-it-138436

https://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/animals/krill/

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Gonium pectorale

Pronunciation: Go-nee-e- um peck- tor-ale

Gonium pectorale is a fresh water algae that is common in ponds, lakes, and rivers. It forms a colony of photosynthetic cells, and it can reproduce sexually and asexually. The long hairs seen on the colony are cilia, which are used to stay suspended in the water.

Photo credit

http://cfb.unh.edu/phycokey/Choices/Chlorophyceae/colonies/colonies_flagellated/GONIUM/Gonium_Image_page.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonium

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Dinophysis fortii

Pronunciation: Dino-fist-sis four- tee

Dinophysis fortii is a dinoflagellate that produces a powerful toxin that causes  diarrheic shellfish poisoning in clams and oysters. It produces asexually using binary fission. Furthermore, the dinoflagellate is found in temperate coastal or ocean waters. 

Photo credit: https://www.eoas.ubc.ca/research/phytoplankton/dinoflagellates/dinophysis/d_fortii.html

https://www.flickr.com/photos/myfwc/8622953610

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Cigar Comb Jelly

beroe forskalii

The Cigar Comb Jelly is a gelatinous ctenophore is marveled by many due to its sparkling bioluminescence. It tends to elegantly float around 120 m in the ocean. It uses unique, hair-like structures called ctens to  move horizontally in the ocean. It also swims in a spiral pattern before consuming zooplankton in the ocean.

Photo credit: https://www.wrobelphoto.com/gelatinouszooplankton/h25347306

https://www.flickr.com/photos/a_migotto/27227530815

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Many ctenophores are not microscopic. However, they are classified as plankton because by definition they cannot move vertically in the water column. The Cigar Comb Jelly is a great example of a floating ctenophore.

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Fragilaria crotonensis

Pronunciation: Frah-ji-lare- riah crow-ton-nee-sis

Fragilaria crotonensis is a diatom that is joined together by cell frustules and forms ribbon like colonies. It tends to bloom during the spring time in fresh water lakes. The colonies also required high amounts of nutrients to survive and reproduce.

Photo credit: http://oceandatacenter.ucsc.edu/PhytoGallery/Freshwater/Fragilaria.html

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Oocystis sp.

Oocystis sp. are fresh-water green algae that form colonies in the surface of the water. Two to eight cells are suspended  in a  hyaline, mucilaginous envelope; the envelope is the clear bubble surrounding the green cells. Furthermore, it produces asexually and uses photosynthesis to create it own food. 

Photo credit: http://protist.i.hosei.ac.jp/PDB/Images/Chlorophyta/Oocystis/sp_9c.html

http://protist.i.hosei.ac.jp/PDB/Images/Chlorophyta/Oocystis/sp_6c.html

http://cfb.unh.edu/phycokey/Choices/Chlorophyceae/colonies/colonies_not_flagellated/OOCYSTIS/Oocystis_Image_page.html