Welcome to our final discussion on the beautiful microorganism algae! This week we will talk about one of the algae that interest me the most which are the phytoplankton. Phytoplankton is microscopic marine algae. These microalgae are the base of many aquatic food webs; they provide food and nutrition for many sea creatures including shrimp, snails, and jellyfish. Phytoplankton contains chlorophyll and requires much sunlight in order to live and grow. Most of these microorganisms are buoyant and float in the surface of the ocean to receive their sunlight. They use energy from the sunlight to make their own food through photosynthesis. Phytoplankton needs inorganic nutrients such as nitrates, phosphates, and sulfur in which they are able to convert into proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. An interesting event that phytoplankton is able to go through is an “algae bloom”. Algae bloom is when phytoplankton reproduces at a fast rate and multiplying rapidly in a little amount of time. When a bloom takes place, the phytoplankton is found in the water at high concentrations which can cause the water to become a beautiful turquoise color. However, there must be the right conditions met in order for the phytoplankton to grow. Nitrogen and phosphorus are the two most important nutrients for phytoplankton to grow in. Iron, zinc, and manganese are also essential nutrients needed in the water for phytoplankton growth.
How can blooms impact our ecosystem? Blooms have the capability to block out or reduce the sunlight reaching the bottom of the ocean which has all the plants which some animals live off of. In this case, these losses can lead to changes in the fish environment and invertebrate population. Low dissolved oxygen levels (DO) are often affected by the blooms. These low levels of DO in the water can lead to fish kills. Another downfall to these blooms is that a few species of phytoplankton have the capability of producing toxins or poisons, which can have negative impacts on humans and animals. An example of a harmful bloom is the “red tide” that is sometimes seen in Florida, U.S.A waters. These red tides can cause respiratory irritation in swimmers and cause seafood to be unfit for consumption by humans.
In 2017, a “plankton explosion” turned the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey a breathtaking turquoise color. On a calm day in spring, the blue waters of the Bosphorus started to turn a milky turquoise color which alarmed the whole country into thinking this was a huge pollution spill. Scientists then confirmed that this change of watercolor was due to one of the most successful life-forms on the planet, Emiliania huxleyi. This single-celled phytoplankton organism is only visible under a microscope and it amazes the world at its ability to thrive in waters. This plankton explosion was so bright that NASA was able to see it from space. Nasa explained that the change in color was caused by indeed a population of phytoplankton that is covered in calcium carbonate plates. Along with the beautiful color that it gave the Bosphorus, environmental science professor Ahmet Cemal Saydam tells that this species of Emiliania huxleyi is a blessing because it can feed marine life, especially anchovies.
Blooming Bosphorus: The waterway that divides Turkey between Europe and Asia has turned a unique turquoise color thanks to blooming algae called phytoplankton.
Algae are beautiful microorganisms that have the capability to help Earth live. Along with plants, they produce oxygen more than anything else in this world. Algae is carbon neutral which can help Earth’s environment by taking CO2 from the air. They are the beginning of the food chain for many animals and our oceans would not be the same without algae. Some say that algae are the most important organism on the planet. I say that algae are one of the most important microorganisms that benefit our planet Earth greatly. I hope you enjoyed my blog on algae and thank you for reading!
Resources:
YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFvgokvI2vQ
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/phyto.html
Images: https://nmsfloridakeys.blob.core.windows.net/floridakeys-prod/media/archive/scisummaries/wqpb.pdf
https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/black-sea-plankton-bloom
This is so funny because my best friend is from Istanbul, and every time she shows me pictures of the Bosphorus, I’m like “that’s photoshopped” because the blue is so blue! I never knew it was because of algae!
It’s also funny that people’s immediate thought was pollution (something negative), but it’s actually a super helpful and pretty algae that can feed the marine life! It’s crazy what can happen in nature with just the right environmental conditions.
I really enjoyed reading your blog. The picture you incorporated are beautiful. Seeing the beauty of some of the blooming algae and knowing a lot of the ecological benefits, I almost forgot that algae can have adverse effects on the environment. I already know algae has an large impact on earth because most of our oxygen comes from algae but actually seeing that the color changes the algae caused to a body water can be seen from outer space really drilled in the message the algae is a big community.
Hi Diala,
Woah, this blew my mind. I’ve seen pictures of this place and heard people talking about how blue the water looks, but I never thought for a second that it could be due to microbes living in the water. It makes so much sense now! That news video showing the blue color was absolutely stunning. I really want to visit now! Great blog 🙂
-Puru Patel.