Though most people don't give much thought to plankton or even know what they are, our lives would be much different without these mostly microscopic organisms. Plankton exist in fresh, brackish, and salt water. Oceanic phytoplankton alone are responsible for producing nearly half of Earth's oxygen and also absorb a large amount of carbon dioxide and regulate ocean pH. Zooplankton comprise huge parts of numerous elaborate marine food webs, many of which ultimately affect human diets. This book is a superb introduction to the fascinating world of plankton, their diversity, their impact, their behavior, and their beauty.
When we think of marine organisms, whales, fishes, lobsters, seaweeds, squids, corals, and a huge assortment of other organisms comes to mind. But few realize that a staggering 98% of ocean life is comprised of plankton and that some, like the coccolithophores that produce protective calcium carbonate shells, are so concentrated that their...
University of California Press