1

06 Plankton Lab

OBJECTIVES:

 To discover importance of plankton in the marine ecosystem

 To classify some important animal and plant plankton
 To use a key to identify and recognize the basic characteristics of common
inshore marine phytoplankton and zooplankton
 To estimate the relative abundance of plankton in a sample
 To observe the diversity and locomotion of plankton in a living sample
 To observe the effect of light on the movements of living plankton

Plankton are drifters in the ocean. They are unable to swim against a current and
include both animals and plants. In contrast, animals that are good swimmers are
nekton. Plankton are extremely important in the marine ecosystem.

Table 1. Marine habitats

Habitat Characteristics
Pelagic
Nektonic Swimming organisms
Planktonic Floating organisms
Holoplanktonic Floating organisms for entire life cycle
Meroplanktonic Floating organisms for only part of life cycle, benthic or
nektonic for the rest of life cycle
Benthic
Sessile Organisms that live in one place
Infauna or inflora Animals or plants that grow in sediments or rocks
Epifauna or epiflora Animals or plants that grown on the sediments or attached to
rocks or other objects
Vagrant Organisms that freely move on the ocean bottom

Plankton are collected using a fine mesh net towed through the water. The net
we will use has a mouth opening of 0.5 m, net length of 1m, and mesh size of 70
μm. Using this net we will capture any organism larger than 70 μm. Figure 1
shows a typical plankton net.
 2

Fig. 1 Typical Plankton Net

Table 2. Plankton Size

Category Size
ultra plankton less than 0.005 mm
nano plankton 0.005 to 0.06 mm
micro plankton 0.06 to 0.2 mm
meso plankton 0.2 mm to 0.5 mm
macro plankton 0.5 mm to 2 mm
mega plankton larger than 2mm

Phytoplankton Observation
Observe prepared microscope slides and live samples for phytoplankton. To
observe the live sample you must first prepare a “live mount” as follows:
 Obtain a slide and cover slip.
 Set up microscope as guided by your instructor (see handout on
microscope care).
 Gently mix the collection cup containing the plankton
 Using a dropper, place one to two drops of plankton onto the center of the
slide. You may need a drop of methyl cellulose to slow them down.
 Place the cover slip at the edge of the liquid and gently let it drop. Try to
avoid getting air bubbles.
 Place the slide on the stage of the microscope starting a low power and
view. You should sketch several of the organisms that you see.

Drawing Plankton
You will create detailed drawings of representatives of the different groups of
zooplankton and phytoplankton. Include your drawings in your lab report. Your
lab exercise should comprise at least 6 different species. But take the time to
observe many more different species from the samples. Also try to study
 3

swimming behavior of different zooplankton forms. Observe the locomotion by

antennae in copepods and by cilia in trochophora and veliger larvae.

Try to put effort and patience into your drawings and document as many details
as you can observe. Select your specimen under the dissecting microscope but
use the higher magnification of the compound microscope to prepare your
drawing. You can observe much more than the rough outer shape of the animals!
Although microphotography has replaced a good deal of hand-drawing these
days (particularly since the introduction of digital photography), the old law of
microscopy still applies today: You only draw what you have actually seen!
Drawing enhances the quality of your observations and deepens your
acquaintance with the specimens. Also remember that this exercise is not a
sketch-race; good quality documentations take their time, and fewer good
documentations are worth more than a lot of poor sketches.

Start your observation of the plankton samples with the stereo (dissecting)
microscope. Take the plankton sample bottle to your desk and use the provided
plastic Pasteur pipettes to fill the bottom of a plastic petri dish. Close the plankton
sample bottle and return it to the central desk. Place your petri dish under the
stereomicroscope and commence your observations. Try to get an overview of
what groups of plankton occur in your sample.

For a detailed study and preparation of drawings and documentation, use the
plastic Pasteur pipette to capture your specimens of interest while observing
through the stereomicroscope. You will see the tip of your pipette; once you have
focused the microscope on your specimen of interest, use your second hand to
hold the other arm, thereby providing stability to your pipetting hand. After you
have captured your specimen from the petri dish, place it with a little drop of
seawater (not too much) on a microscope slide, cover with a cover slip (never
press the cover slip down, it will smash your specimen), place slide on the
compound microscope and commence your observation and drawing.

Prepare drawings of the observed specimens on white paper using a soft pencil
and try to document as much structure and characteristics as you can observe.
Some preparations are better than others; if you feel your slide is of too poor
quality for appropriate observations, capture a new specimen from your petri
dish. Next to the drawing, include the plankton systematic group name (we will
not be able to identify the specimens to the genus or species level), and some
features that characterize this group and distinguish it form others. Remember
that any drawing without correct and detailed annotations is worth nothing. For
the larval forms, note which adult animal belongs to your specimen!
After having studied your plankton samples, you should be acquainted with the
most important groups of phyto- and zooplankton. Use this knowledge to assess
the plankton community composition in the net samples of your field station.
After you have studied your specimens under the compound microscope in
detail, you should be able to recognize the different taxa even under low
 4

magnification on the stereomicroscope. Prepare a semi-quantitative list (highly

abundant, abundant, occasionally found, rarely found) of the taxa you can
differentiate and recognize. Discuss your observations with the members of your
research team to come up with a final assessment of which taxa are more or less
abundant in your sample.

For the lab report, include the semi-quantitative list of taxa and discuss which
taxa were the most abundant in your sample. Which group of zooplankton is the
dominant in your sample? Report the most abundant taxa to the classroom
blackboard with your station number/location. After all groups have reported their
findings to the blackboard, can we see differences in zooplankton community
structure among the sampled stations? Discuss these differences in your lab
report.

Take the meroplanktonic larvae into account – their occurrence might give you
information about the benthic communities at your field station.
 5

Plankton Size
Phytoplankton: free-floating autotrophs & Holoplankton: Size
organisms that spend their entire life spans as plankton.
Diatoms 0.005 to 1 mm
Dinoflagellates and Zooxanthellae 0.05 to 0.2 mm
Zooplankton: free-floating heterotrophs & Holoplankton: Size
organisms that spend their entire life spans as plankton.
Copepod 1 to 10 mm
Foraminiferans 0.1 to 1 mm
Radiolarians 0.1 to 1 mm
Dinoflagellates 0.05 to 0.2 mm

PHYTOPLANKTON: AUTOTROPHIC PROTISTS

Diatoms
Diatoms are single-celled, autotrophs from the Kingdom Protista: Phylum
Chrysophyta, Class Bacillariophyceae. They occur in two basic types based upon
their shape: centric and pinnate. Their shell or frustule is made from glass-like
silica. Centric diatoms are cylindrical while pennate diatoms are long and
tapered, or triangular in shape. Planktonic diatoms are mostly centric and are
collected and eaten by zooplankton and by benthic feeding animals such as
mussels. Benthic diatoms are mostly pennate. Planktonic diatoms seem to favor
turbulent conditions with high nutrient availability. Some diatom species are
known to generate toxins that have caused illness and deaths in pelicans and
some people. Toxins are transferred to vulnerable consumers by organisms (like
anchovies) that are not harmed by it, but concentrate it.

Diatoms may occur in such large numbers and be well preserved enough to form
sediments composed almost entirely of diatom frustules (diatomites), these
deposits are of economic benefit being used in filters, paints, toothpaste, and
many other applications. Try to identify any diatoms you see in the live sample.

Fig. 2a. Diatoms

 6

Fig.2b. Diatoms

Dinoflagellates
Dinoflagellates are protista: Dinophyta phylum. Most dinoflagellates are single-
celled autotrophs with two flagella. One flagella trails free in the water; the other
is wrapped around the waist of the cell like a belt, confined to a groove in the
plates. These flagella let the cells swim, sometimes as much as a few meters in
one day. Planktonic dinoflagellates seem to favor stratified water with low nutrient
supply. They are conspicuous year-round in warm seas (where nutrients are
typically scarce) and seasonally in colder seas during the summer (after diatoms
and other photsynthesizers have reduced the nutrient supply). Where nutrients
are abundant, dinoflagellates are usually outnumbered by diatoms. The ability of
dinoflagellates to swim from a locally exhausted microneighborhood to a nearby
place where nutrients are slightly more abundant may contribute to their success
in low-nutrient waters. Note: some dinoflagellates are heterotrophs, and therefore
also zooplankton.

A few species of dinoflagellates manufacture powerful toxins (such as species

Gonyaulax, Gymnodinum and Ceratium). These species become fantastically
abundant under some conditions, increasing from a typical 100 or fewer
organisms per milliliter of water to some million or more and giving the water a
reddish cast known as red tide. The toxins liberated during these episodes
causes widespread kills of fishes and other organisms. Shellfish collect these
dinoflagellates and concentrate toxin without being harmed by it. A person who
eats the shellfish (raw or cooked) will experience paralytic shellfish poisoning
(PSP), characterized by numbness of the lips, dizziness, nausea, and
(sometimes) death. There are other illnesses that dinoflagellate toxins are also
associated with.

Some dinoflagellates are called zooxanthellae and live in symbiotic partnership

with organisms, living within the cells of organisms like coral polyps, sea
anemones, flatworms, giant clams, and even some foraminiferans. Within this
arrangement, the zooxanthellae photosynthesize and produce carbohydrates
both for themselves and for their hosts. The host supplies the zooxanthellae with
nitrogen and phosphorus. The most powerful partnership is visible in coral reefs
 7

where the zooxanthellae are the major drivers of the luxuriant growth and
produce the striking colors (greens, golds, and purples).

Some dinoflagellates, such as the common Noctiluca species, are also highly
bioluminescent and when present in large numbers, can actually light up the
waves of boats and the breaking waves on a beach. Also, some (such as
Noctiluca) are not photosynthetic.

Fig. 3a Dinoflagellates

Fig. 3b. Zooxanthellae

 8

Foraminifera
Foraminifera are single-celled, unclassified Protista. They are all heterotrophs
with ornate shells riddled with holes and made of CaCO3. Tests consist of
several chambers segmented together in a pattern of spirals, zigzags, or
concentric spheres. As a foram grows, it adds larger chambers to its test.

Fig. 4. Foraminifera

Feeding Methods
All organisms can be classified by their Kingdom, Phylum, Class, etc.; by their
location (plankton, nekton, benthos) AND further by their feeding methods (see
below). You will be providing this information for all organisms in this and all
future labs, so be sure to know these definitions and classification schemes!
AUTOTROPHS HETEROTROPHS – (eat others to get food)
(make their own Deposit feeders – Feed off live or dead organisms that live
food) in or on the seafloor
Producers Filter feeders – Actively move through the water or move
water through their bodies, filtering organisms enroute
Suspension feeders – Passive – waits for food to hit it
(stingers or spines)
Predators – Actively hunts prey
Grazers – Feeds off autotrophs, at the source, like scraping
algae off a rock
 9

SEAWATER PLANKTON IDENTIFICATION

1. Use microscopes to observe seawater sample.
2. INDICATE PHYLUM AND/OR CLASS and NAME of organisms (Use lab and
class reference material to identify each organism.)
3. Draw one or more pictures as indicated showing detail and labeling
features.
4. Indicate feeding strategy (producer, deposit feeder, filter feeder, suspension
feeder, predator, grazer).
5. Include SCALE! Use the field of view scales to approximate size for each
drawing. Use 100x objective to study smaller phytoplankton or look at finer detail
in the larger organisms.

Sample Location: Date and time:

Kingdom: Prostita ___/ Animalia___ zooplankton___/ phytoplankton___
Phylum: holoplankton___/ meroplankton___
Class: Feeding strategy:
____producer
____deposit feeder
____filter feeder
Magnification:
____suspension feeder
____predator
____grazer
10
11
12
13
14
 15

Plankton Classification

I. Kingdom Eubacteria and Archaebacteria: cells simple and unspecialized;

single cells, some in groups or chains.

II. Kingdom Protista: grouping of microscopic and mostly single-celled

organisms; autotrophs (algae) and heterotrophs (protozoa).

Phytoplankton

o Phylum Chrysophyta: golden-brown algae; yellow to golden

o Phylum Bacillariophyta: diatoms
o Phylum Pyrrophyta: dinoflagellates

Zooplankton

o Phylum Sarcodina: radiolarians, foraminiferans

o Phylum Ciliophora: ciliates

III. Kingdom Animalia: animals; multicellular heterotrophs with specialized cells,

tissues and organ systems; zooplankton (holoplankton= 'whole' always plankton).
For temporary members of the zooplankton (meroplankton= larvae of sessile
organisms)

o Phylum Cnidaria: radially symmetrical with tentacles and stinging

cells.
 1. Class Hydrozoa: jellyfish as one stage in the life cycle,
including such colonial forms as the Portuguese man-of-war.
 2. Class Scyphozoa: jellyfish
 3. Class Cubazoa- box jellies and sea wasps
 4. Class Anthozoa- corals and anemones; larval form is
planaria
o Phylum Ctenophora: comb jellies, translucent, moving with cilia;
often bioluminescent.
o Phylum Chaetognatha: arrow worms, free-swimming carnivorous
worms.
o Phylum Annelida: class polychaeta-marine worms
o Phylum Mollusca: mollusks, the snail-like pteropods.
o Phylum Arthropoda: animals with paired, jointed appendages and
hard outer skeletons
 1. Class Crustacea: copepods and euphausiids.
o Phylum Echinoderma: starfish, sea cucumber and sea urchins
larvae
o Phylum Chordata: animals including vertebrates with dorsal nerve
cord and gill slits at some stage in development.
 16

 1. Subphylum Urochordata: saclike adults with 'tadpole'

larvae; salps.
 2. Subphylum Vertebrata: fish egg, larvae, and juveniles
17