Plankton

All organisms, animals or plants, which live in full water, trained according to currents. Most planktonic organisms are microscopic. In addition to permanent planktonic species, the larvae are found in the larvae of many aquatic animals. There is plankton in the marine environment, but also in fresh water (ponds, lakes ...).

Plankton is a collection of aquatic microorganisms, mainly animals and microscopic algae, which float or suspend in water. There are two types of plankton: the Nékton, which is capable of swimming against the current, and the plankton, which drifts with the current. Plankton is very important in the aquatic ecosystem because it is a source of food for many other organisms, including fish, molluscs, crustaceans and birds.

Plankton is divided into two main categories: auto plankton and heterotrophic plankton. Auto plankton is able to produce its own food through photosynthesis. It includes microscopic algae, which are capable of capturing sunlight and converting it into energy thanks to their chlorophyll pigment. Heterotrophic plankton, on the other hand, depends on the organic matter already present in the water to eat. It includes microscopic animals such as protozoa, rotifers and copépods.

Plankton is also divided into several subcategories depending on its size and mobility. Microplankton includes organisms less than 20 micrometers in length, such as algae and bacteria. Mesoplankton includes organisms 20 to 200 micrometers in length, such as rotifers and copépods. Macroplankton includes organisms over 200 micrometers in length, such as jellyfish and fish larvae.

Plankton is essential to the balance of the aquatic ecosystem because it serves as a basis for the food chain. Large marine animals, such as whales and dolphins, feed on fish that feed on crustaceans that feed on plankton. Plankton also plays an important role in climate regulation by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and converting it into oxygen thanks to photosynthesis. Finally, plankton is used in many laboratories to study the effects of pollution and climate change on the aquatic ecosystem.