Phytoplankton

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Phytoplankton

Daniel Vaulot, Station Biologique, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Roscoff, France

Published online: April 2006

DOI: 10.1038/npg.els.0004306

Full Article on Wiley Online Library

Abstract
Images
References

Phytoplankton is defined as free-floating unicells and colonies that grow photo-autotrophically in aquatic environments. Phytoplankton plays a key role in the primary production and global elemental cycles of the Earth.

Keywords: algae; cyanobacteria; chlorophyll; primary production; food webs; protists

References
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Further Reading
	book Andersen RA (2005) Algal Culturing Techniques. New York: Academic Press.
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	ePath Web sites Plankton* Net, a taxonomic resource for phytoplankton: http://e-bck.rd.awi-bremerhaven.de/protist/baypaul/microscope/general/page_01b.htm.

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	Figure 1. Ocean phytoplankton distribution as seen from the SeaWifs satellite. (a) Average map of chlorophyll concentration between September 1997 and August 2000 (Image from http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=1078). (b) Coccolithophorid bloom (arrows) in the English Channel on June 4, 2001 (Image from http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=2418).
	Figure 2. A few phytoplankton species. (a) The diatom Skeletonema costatum under bright field (left) and epifluorescence microscopy (right), revealing the red fluorescence of chlorophyll. (b) The dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense. (c) The prymnesiophyte Emiliania huxleyi. The picoplanktonic cyanobacteria Synechococcus (d) and Prochlorococcus (e) Bar, (a, b) 10 µm, (c) 1 µm (d, e) 0.5 µm. Panels (c) reproduced from Riebesell et al. (2000) Nature 407: 364–367 (d)–(e) from Chisholm et al. (1988) Nature 334: 340–343.
	Figure 3. (a) Schematic vertical distribution of phytoplankton in the open ocean. (b) Some of the key phytoplankton types and some of the factors involved in their control. No attempt has been made to link a given type of phytoplankton to a given factor as many of the relationships are still not clear.

Phytoplankton

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