01:460:120 Lecture 19: Lecture 19 - Zooplankton and Nekton
11 Apr 2017
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Document Summary
Zooplankton come in many different sizes and shapes. Some zooplankton eat bacteria, some eat phytoplankton, other are carnivores. Important nekton includes krill, cephalopods, fishes, seabirds, and marine animals. There are more species of fishes, and more individuals, than species and individuals of all other vertebrates combined. Seabirds are indicators of oceanic productivity and are second only to marine mammals in consumption of crustaceans. Marine mammals, all of which evolved from land ancestors, share common adaptations for life in the ocean. Drift or swim weakly, at mercy of currents. Generally small, less than a few mm, inconspicuous. Includes algae (autotrophs), bacteria (both auto- and heterotrophs), and animals. Unicellular organisms, important at base of food web. Multicellular animals, important links to higher levels in food webs. Reach their zenith in southern ocean around antarctica: the most famous and abundant is the. Use gas containers - air is 1,000 times less dense than seawater.
