Plankton population declining

Over the past 30 years researchers have noticed that phytoplankton numbers have declined significantly. According to science news, the phytoplankton has been declining by about 1% of the global average per year. This will eventually effect how we humans live greatly. The food chain begins with plankton and branches off to many other animals. If the plankton were taken out of the food chain, the animals that consume the plankton would not be able to survive leaving a large gap in the chain that would effect all the other animals.

 

The phytoplankton do not only form the base of the marine food web, but they also play a very important role in our lives. Phytoplankton produce close to half the oxygen on earth and remove more than a third of the CO2 from the atmosphere during photosynthesis. If you think about it, if all the phytoplankton were removed we would lose 50% of the oxygen we breathe everyday. Its scary to think about.

Minogue, Kristian. " critical ocean organisms are disapearing." science/AAAS. American

Association for the Advancement of science, 28 July 2010. web. 12 Feb. 2014.

Marine food web

I was a Sperm whale in the food web activity. Sperm Whales are known to eat squid, anchovies, octopus, Cephalopods, cuddle fish and a variety of other fish. If the squids were to become extinct it would be difficult for the sperm whale to survive. It would have to rely on other species such as the octopus and other fish species.

Phytoplankton 

Phytoplankton are important because they are the beginning of the food chain for most of the planet. The smaller organisms eat the phytoplankton then larger organisms eat the smaller ones. 

Energy flow

 There are different tropic levels and as you move up the food web the animal become bigger and bigger.

Human impacts

Humans can greatly effect the marine food web. If a certain species was fished or hunted a lot they could be come endangered and other organisms who feed off of that species would suffer greatly.