Sir Alister Hardy and Phytoplankton

“There is the life of the plankton in almost endless variety; there are the many kinds of fish, both surface and bottom living; there are the hosts of different invertebrate creatures on the sea-floor; and there are those almost grotesque forms of pelagic life in the oceans depths. Then there are the squids and cuttlefish, and the porpoises, dolphins and great whales.” – Sir Alister Hardy.

Sir Alister Hardy was a marine biologist.  He specialized in the study of plankton.  In 1925, Sir Alister Hardy invented a device, the Continuous Plankton Recorder, towed behind ships, that quite accurately recorded plankton levels and plotted their distribution.

Hardy’s quote above alludes to the importance of plankton in the food chains of the oceans.  Photosynthetic plankton are one of the biggest sources of oxygen on our planet.  Without them, we would surely perish from slow suffocation.  In the ocean ecosystem, not only do they give oxygen for life there, they are also the first step in the oceanic web of life.   [cow_johnson general_float=”right” general_clear=”none” general_width=”500″ general_bgcolor=”#ff964a” general_font=”Lucida Sans”]Just as many green plants are the producers in terrestrial ecosystems turning sunlight into a useable energy source for animals and the first food source for the herbivores so too are the plankton the grass of the sea![/cow_johnson]Plankton are fed on by a number of smaller fish as well as Baleen whales (which also eat zooplankton and krill that eat phytoplankton) and the Basking, Megamouth and Whale sharks.  A whole host of marine invertebrates rely on plankton directly for food and then there are those animals that eat the animals that feed on plankton.  All ocean life can ultimately trace its existence back to phytoplankton.

Alister Hardy was an interesting fellow.  His research on plankton was important and groundbreaking.  It was the reason he became knighted.  He may be better known, however, for his Aquatic Ape Theory which suggested that man evolved characteristics due to 20 million years of semi-aquatic existence.  But that, my friends, is a post for another day.

Related articles across the web

• Rare megamouth shark found in the Philippines
• Oceans: What triggers phytoplankton blooms?