Plankton and Plant Life By: Ryan Merrigan, Ella Hauser, Sydney Broadway, and Jack Wills

Zooplankton Zooplankton- consist of small animals of immature stages of larger animals They are located at the top of saltwater, at freshwater, and at wetlands Zooplankton cannot use photosynthesis to convert sunlight into food Zooplankton can be unicellular or multicellular

Zooplankton The benefits of Zooplankton are: Zooplankton help food chains and webs because they are the base of the food chain for a lot of animals. Many animals rely on them to get food Zooplankton cannot produce their own food. They are relied on to eat millions of algae, otherwise the algae will grow out-of-control Algae- is a group of organisms that can produce photosynthesis

Phytoplankton Phytoplankton- are microscopic organisms which use photosynthesis and creates materials for cellular respiration They are located in the surface zone in the outer ocean Photosynthesis- sunlight is converted into food Cellular respiration- carbon dioxide is converted into oxygen

Phytoplankton The benefits of Phytoplankton are They start the food chain Phytoplankton is eaten by zooplankton Zooplankton is then eaten by fish Phytoplankton is a source of oxygen Phytoplankton use photosynthesis because it’s a plant-like plankton while zooplankton is more animal-like. They produce sugar to use for cellular respiration because photosynthesis always creates sugar and oxygen

Coral Reefs Coral Reefs- are ridges of rocks formed by the growth deposit of coral Deposit of coral means to accumulate to form reefs or islands in tropical areas Coral reefs need to be in an area with warm tropical water in order to grow They can spread to 1250 miles(660,000 ft) long!, that distance can stretch between Chicago, Illinois, to San Antonio, Texas.

Coral Reefs What do coral reefs provide to other animals and plants? protection for animals from predators homes for all kinds of fish They are only found near shore because: they need sunlight to survive and if they do not they will eventually die of no nutrients

Kelp Forest Kelp forest appear when seaweed attaches to the ocean floor making giant stalks of kelp. Air bubbles get caught in between the kelp helping it rises to the surface to get the sunlight it needs They’re only found in waters near the shore Provides habitat for sea urchins, sheephead, and giant sea bass

Additional facts Phytoplankton provides around 50% of the world’s oxygen. There are about 5,000 known species of phytoplankton Phytoplankton can grow out of control and form harmful algal blooms Phytoplankton

Q&A Why are coral reefs helpful for animals? How do zooplankton affect the food chain?

Sources http://marinebio.org/oceans/zooplankton/ www.whoi.edu/science/B/people/kamaral/plankton.html http://www.indiana.edu/~clp/documents/Zooplankton%20Factsheet.pdf http://brookwood.edu/sites/brookwood.edu/files/plankton_hw.pdf https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8&safe=active&ssui=on# http://www.livescience.com/54979-what-are-algae.html Science textbook grade 8 page c122, 124, 125, 126