Zooplankton reflecting global warming. In: Winter School on Impact of Climate Change on Indian Marine Fisheries held at CMFRI, Cochin 18.1.2008 to 7.2.2008

Stephen, Rosamma (2008) Zooplankton reflecting global warming. In: Winter School on Impact of Climate Change on Indian Marine Fisheries held at CMFRI, Cochin 18.1.2008 to 7.2.2008. [Teaching Resource]

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Abstract

The myriads and myriads of microscopic organisms that float with the currents are collectively called as zooplankton. They are the main grazers of the ocean and play intermediate link in transforming plant material to animal protein. These subtle organisms form the food for all higher animals including the whales. Most zooplankton organisms are very beautiful when alive. The zooplankton community is composed of nearly 80 different taxa including fish eggs and larvae. But the most abundant components are copepods, chaetognaths, euphausiids and ostracods. Copepods and euphausiids are the main herbivore and chaetognaths are strictly carnivores. Marine zooplankton function at many levels in ocean food webs, as consumers, producers and prey. Ranging in size from microns (protozooplankton) to centimeters and meters (metazooplankton, including chains of Thaliacea), they are also major contributors to elemental cycling and vertical fluxes.

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