Plankton
Apart from bacteria, planktonic organisms are the most abundant life form on Earth.
Tiny oceanic creatures - Plankton
Don't let it's small size fool you, plankton are the ocean's microscopic but most important animals. The word plankton comes from the Greek word planktos, which means ‘wandering’ or ‘drifting’.
Apart from bacteria, planktonic organisms are the most abundant life form on Earth and play a crucial role in the marine food chain. Planktonic organisms are food for a range of animals from barnacles and sea squirts to large fish and whales. The largest fish in the world, the Whale Shark, is a plankton feeder as are many of the largest mammals on earth - whales.
Plankton ecosystems play an important role in the ocean’s carbon cycle. Zooplankton provide carbon to the food web through respiration and contribute to the ocean’s biomass when they die. Plankton are, in large part, why oceans are the largest carbon sink in the world. Plankton ecosystems also play a significant role in oxygen production, over half of the ocean’s oxygen production is produced through phytoplankton photosynthesis.
Without plankton, the Great Barrier Reef wouldn’t exist. It is the largest and most complex reef system in the world and many animals rely on plankton for food. Compared to the colourful reef, the surrounding bluewater zone may look empty and barren, but on closer inspection it is teeming with life: plankton.
About the Beyond the Reef exhibition images
Thirty-six stunning images produced by Peter Parks and his team at Image Quest 3-D, were exhibited in the Beyond the Reef exhibition.
