Plankton: this is the \ud835\uddef\ud835\uddee\ud835\ude00\ud835\uddf2 \ud835\uddee\ud835\uddf9\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddfa\ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddfb\ud835\ude01\ud835\uddee\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddff\ud835\uddf2 of any body of water. Without phytoplankton, we would have neither \ud835\ude07\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddfd\ud835\uddf9\ud835\uddee\ud835\uddfb\ud835\uddf0\ud835\ude01\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddfb, nor small \ud835\uddfd\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddf6\ud835\ude00\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddfb\ud835\ude00, nor large \ud835\uddfd\ud835\uddff\ud835\uddf2\u0301\ud835\uddf1\ud835\uddee\ud835\ude01\ud835\uddf2\ud835\ude02\ud835\uddff\ud835\ude00 in the ocean; underwater and sub-lake life would be extinct. This is the principle of \ud835\uddf0\ud835\uddf5\ud835\uddee\ud835\uddf6\u0302\ud835\uddfb\ud835\uddf2 \ud835\uddee\ud835\uddf9\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddfa\ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddfb\ud835\ude01\ud835\uddee\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddff\ud835\uddf2 ; if zooplankton can no longer feed on phytoplankton, they disappear, and small fish find themselves without zooplankton and decline in turn, which in turn causes the large predators to disappear. Carnage!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what are these microscopic organisms, without which we would have no life underwater? Just one example: \ud835\uddf9\ud835\uddf2\ud835\ude00 \ud835\uddee\ud835\uddf9\ud835\uddf4\ud835\ude02\ud835\uddf2\ud835\ude00! According to a 2003 CIPEL study, there are \ud835\udfed\ud835\udff0\ud835\udfec \ud835\ude01\ud835\uddee\ud835\ude05\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddfb\ud835\ude00 (families) of phytoplankton in \ud835\uddf1\ud835\uddee\ud835\uddfb\ud835\ude00 \ud835\uddf9\ud835\uddf2 \ud835\udddf\ud835\uddf2\u0301\ud835\uddfa\ud835\uddee\ud835\uddfb alone! Despite their small size, phytoplankton make up the \ud835\uddfa\ud835\uddee\ud835\uddf7\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddff\ud835\uddf6\ud835\ude01\ud835\uddf2\u0301 of the \ud835\uddef\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddfa\ud835\uddee\ud835\ude00\ud835\ude00\ud835\uddf2 \ud835\ude03\ud835\uddf2\u0301\ud835\uddf4\ud835\uddf2\u0301\ud835\ude01\ud835\uddee\ud835\uddf9\ud835\uddf2 in virtually any body of water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Phytoplankton live in the \ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddee\ud835\ude02\ud835\ude05 \ud835\uddfd\ud835\uddf2\ud835\ude02 \ud835\uddfd\ud835\uddff\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddf3\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddfb\ud835\uddf1\ud835\uddf2\ud835\ude00 of the lake. Since they are photosynthetic organisms - which use the sun's energy to feed themselves - they must be found in the zone known as '\ud835\uddf2\ud835\ude02\ud835\uddfd\ud835\uddf5\ud835\uddfc\ud835\ude01\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddfe\ud835\ude02\ud835\uddf2', i.e. the zone in which light still penetrates (between 10 and 15m deep). Often unicellular, phytoplankton float freely in the euphotic zone. Many species can form \ud835\uddf0\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddf9\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddfb\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddf2\ud835\ude00, making them \ud835\ude03\ud835\uddf6\ud835\ude00\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddef\ud835\uddf9\ud835\uddf2\ud835\ude00 \ud835\uddee\u0300 \ud835\uddf9'\u0153\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddf9 \ud835\uddfb\ud835\ude02.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Phytoplankton numbers \ud835\uddf3\ud835\uddf9\ud835\ude02\ud835\uddf0\ud835\ude01\ud835\ude02\ud835\uddee\ud835\ude01\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddfb\ud835\ude00 \ud835\ude00\ud835\uddee\ud835\uddf6\ud835\ude00\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddfb\ud835\uddfb\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddf2\u0300\ud835\uddff\ud835\uddf2\ud835\ude00 are impressive; one litre of water can contain \ud835\udfef\ud835\udfec \ud835\uddee\u0300 \ud835\udff1\ud835\udfec \ud835\uddf3\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddf6\ud835\ude00 \ud835\uddfd\ud835\uddf9\ud835\ude02\ud835\ude00 more plankton in \ud835\uddf3\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddfb \ud835\uddf1\ud835\uddf2 \ud835\uddfd\ud835\uddff\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddfb\ud835\ude01\ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddfa\ud835\uddfd\ud835\ude00 than during the winter! Every year in May, the phytoplankton population collapses, due to its overconsumption by zooplankton. The zooplankton population in turn collapses when it has eaten all the available phytoplankton. Finally, a \ud835\uddf2\u0301\ud835\uddfe\ud835\ude02\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddf9\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddef\ud835\uddff\ud835\uddf2 is found between the phyto and zooplankton in Lake Geneva. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Phytoplankton also has another role; it is the second \ud835\uddfd\ud835\uddfc\ud835\ude02\ud835\uddfa\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddfb \ud835\uddf1\ud835\uddf2 \ud835\uddf9\ud835\uddee \ud835\uddfd\ud835\uddf9\ud835\uddee\ud835\uddfb\ud835\uddf2\u0300\ud835\ude01\ud835\uddf2. We hear a lot about the Amazon, but phytoplankton produces \ud835\udff1\ud835\udfec% \ud835\uddf1\ud835\uddf2 \ud835\uddf9'\ud835\uddfc\ud835\ude05\ud835\ude06\ud835\uddf4\ud835\uddf2\u0300\ud835\uddfb\ud835\uddf2 which we breathe, whereas \ud835\uddd4\ud835\uddfa\ud835\uddee\ud835\ude07\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddfb\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddf2 \ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddfb \ud835\uddfd\ud835\uddff\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddf1\ud835\ude02\ud835\uddf6\ud835\ude01 \ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddfb\ud835\ude03\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddff\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddfb \ud835\udfee\ud835\udff4%. Sylvia Earl, a great oceanographer and explorer, has calculated that just one species of plankton, Prochlorococcus, provides the oxygen for one in five breaths for every human being on Earth! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although tiny, phytoplankton is perhaps the living organism on which the most responsibility rests. \ud835\udddf\ud835\uddf2 \ud835\uddfd\ud835\uddf9\ud835\uddee\ud835\uddfb\ud835\uddf0\ud835\ude01\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddfb, \ud835\uddf0'\ud835\uddf2\ud835\ude00\ud835\ude01 \ud835\uddf9\ud835\uddee \ud835\ude03\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddf2. Enough to study, cherish and protect!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Information from the CIPEL <\/a>and National Geographic<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Photo credit: Patrice Simon, Arielle Cordonier<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":8876,"template":"","mots-cles":[],"class_list":["post-8875","60_secondes","type-60_secondes","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/asleman.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/60_secondes\/8875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/asleman.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/60_secondes"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/asleman.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/60_secondes"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asleman.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/asleman.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"mots-cles","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asleman.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/mots-cles?post=8875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}