Plankton
Plankton are organisms that live throughout the oceans, mainly in the sea surface where abundant supplies of light and nutrients allow some of them (phytoplankton) to grow. These are consumed by zooplankton, which in turn are either eaten by organisms higher up the food chain (e.g. fish) or die and sink into the depths of the ocean. Although small, plankton drive some important geochemical cycles in the oceans and are vulnerable to changes in ocean climate.
Phytoplankton
Microscopic plants, termed phytoplankton, living in the world's ocean form the base of the largest ecosystem on Earth. Despite their small size (less than the width of a human hair) phytoplankton play a large and important role in how our ocean and climate functions. Phytoplankton take up dissolved elements from seawater, including carbon dioxide, to make new cells and are responsible for around half of the planet's photosynthesis and oxygen production.
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