Phytoplankton Habitats

Phytoplankton are organisms commonly found in oceans throughout the world. They often serve as a food source for larger organisms, and generally possess photosynthetic qualities that make them very similar to plants.

  1. Size and Shape

    • In size, phytoplankton are tiny. They are microscopic organisms invisible to the naked eye. There are numerous species of phytoplankton, all of which have a different characteristic shape.

    Habitat

    • Phytoplankton live in the ocean. They generally live near the surface of the water because of its proximity to the sunlight necessary to fuel their photosynthetic processes.

    Predators

    • Phytoplankton are consumed by numerous predators and often serve as the foundation of the food chain in their habitats. Organisms including shrimp to fish to whales consume phytoplankton as a means to survive.

    Food Chain

    • Since phytoplankton rest firmly at the bottom of the food chain, they serve as the basis for every other organism's survival within their habitat. Even humans are dependent on phytoplankton, without which many of the fish we eat would not be able to survive.

    As Environmental Messengers

    • Sometimes, phytoplankton are more than just a good source of food. They can be environmental messengers, meaning they can tell us a lot about the state of the environment. Since their survival is heavily dependent on the availability of nutrients in the water as well as the stability of their aquatic habitat, we are able to use their survival as a measure of environmental changes in the Earth's oceans. When phytoplankton begin to die, it is an indicator of sudden change in their habitat.