What are Planktons?

• PASSIVELY FLOATING MICROALGAE AND ANIMALS IN THE WATER

COLUMN
• FORM AT THE BASE OF THE FOOD CHAIN
• SOME ARE TOXIC BUT MOST ARE NUTRITIOUS

MAJOR CATEGORIES OF PLANKTON

1. Holoplankton - Phytoplankton (w/ chlorophyll) & Zooplankton (animals)
2. Meroplankton – Aquatic Organisms

PLANKTON CATEGORIES BASED ON SIZE

MEGA -plankton (20-200 cm)
MACRO-plankton (2 - 20 cm)
MESO-plankton (0.2 – 2 cm)
MICRO-plankton (20 – 200 um)
NANO-plankton (2 – 20 um)
PICO-plankton (0.2 – 2 um)
FEMTO-plankton (0.002 – 0.2 um)

PHYTOPLANKTON IDENTIFICATION BASED ON PIGMENTATION

Phaeophyta (Brown algae) Chlorophyta (Green Algae) Rhodophyta
(Red algae)

FACTORS INFLUENCING PLANKTON ABUNDANCE

1) TEMPERATURE 2) Upwelling of nutrients 3) Nutrient enrichment from
anthropogenic source

MONTORING OF PLANKTON
1) Using Satellite Images 2) Actual surveys