phytoplankton: Quick Facts

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Phytoplankton bloom

Illustration of an ocean food chain showing sunlight supporting one-celled life like dinoflagellates and diatoms, which are eaten by shrimplike copepods. These are consumed by small fish, which are then eaten by mackerel, followed by tuna, and finally a large shark at the top of the food web.

Bright green algae blooms distort the surface of water.

The essential role of phytoplankton in ecosystems

The importance of Wadden Sea tidal flats for migrating birds

How phytoplankton function and survive in the ocean

Take an in-depth look at the variety of plankton, from diatoms and microflagellates to jellyfish

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Topics

Dinoflagellate Water bloom Diatom Coccolithophorida Red tide Algae plankton Seaweed zooplankton Cryoflora Meet the Microbes: 5 Tiny Protozoans and Algae Is seaweed a plant?Red algae Green algae

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plankton: Introduction