MICROSCOPY

Phytoplankton - Phytoplankton is a general term encompassing all autotrophic organisms. The word phytoplankton is derived from the Greek words 'phyton' or plant and 'planktos', meaning to drift. These organisms use the energy of the sun and carbon dioxide and nutrients dissolved in seawater to produce organic matter via photosynthesis. This process, termed primary production, can result in the drawdown and sequestration of carbon dioxidefrom the atmosphere. In the marine environment, typical phytoplankton include diatoms (algae encased in a silica shell), coccolithophores (algae often encased in calcium carbonate liths) and cyanobacteria. . Click here to see a slideshow of marine phytoplankton.

Nitrogen-fixers- Nitrogen (N) is an essential ingredient in the recipe for life. It is needed as a building block for proteins, nucleic acids and other cell components. However in the open ocean, where most microbes require 'fixed' or combined sources of nitrogen (nitrate, ammonium, or organic compounds), the availibility of N can limit productivity. There are a special class of prokaryotic microorganisms that can get around this potential limitation by tapping into the relatively limitless pool of di-nitrogen that is dissolved in surface seawater. The productivity of these nitrogen fixing organisms can relieve N limitation in surface waters and impact net community productivity.Click here to see slideshow of a nitrogen-fixing organisms.

Grazers: Zooplankton and More- A colorful and varied assortment of organisms rely on microbes as a source of nutrition. Collectively, these organisms are commonly termed 'grazers' or zooplankton. Zooplankton include protozoans such as flagellates and ciliates as well as small crustaceans called copepods. A variety of feeding mechanisms and preferences exist among the zooplankton. Some organisms capture individual phytoplankton (e.g. chaetognaths), others filter large volumes of water in order to concentrate their food (e.g. certain copepods) while yet others engulf food particles whole via phagocytosis. And finally there are also mixotrophs, capable of both phototrophy and phagocystis, thus having one 'foot' in the autotroph box and another in the grazer box. Grazers are especially important as a food source for higher organisms and as link in the transport of carbon to the deep ocean. Click here to see a slideshow of zooplankton.

Higher Organisms- Beyond the microbial work-horses of the marine environment, there are the many creatures that depend on the productivity of microbes. This 'box' encompasses wide-eyed juvenile squid and crab to the fish that end up on our dinner plates. Click here to see slideshow of a selection of higher organisms.

Movies of Interest - All movies in .wmv or .mov format

Ostracods darting around a petri dish
Take me to your leader- waving and talking squid larvae- ok the mouth is just a chromophore
Darting amphipods and swaying annelids
The heartbeat of a pteropod
Swimming with sharks in Fiji- not too scary