Phytoplankton it's a set of plant microorganisms that are found especially in seas, rivers and lakes and that serve as food for animals. Algae are the main components of phytoplankton. That is to say, phytoplankton performs the same function that terrestrial plants and herbs carry out with animals that live precisely on earth, being their primary food.
Its location occurs mainly in the most superficial part of the waters since it is essential to be as close as possible to the light for photosynthesis to occur.
As a consequence of the above, phytoplankton is considered a fundamental link in the food chain in aquatic environments, being the most important food eaten by animals that live in water. Fish and even larger aquatic animals, such as whales, feed on it to survive. More precisely, we place phytoplankton at the base of the aforementioned chain.
But here its fundamental contribution to the balance and maintenance of the ecosystem is not closed but it is only a part of the extended action it performs, since on the other hand, phytoplankton, is the architect of the presence of oxygen in our atmosphere as a result of its photosynthetic capacity.
The only disadvantage attributed to these microorganisms is that they are capable of fantastic growth when conditions are unbeatable, that is, when the temperature is right and they have excess food. Meanwhile, this overproduction is capable of leading to oxygen depletion in which species found in the sea can just die from lack of oxygen.
This situation is called blooming or red tide and it is visually recognizable in the waters in which it occurs because it adopts a greenish coloration.
Its importance is crucial for the health of the entire planet, as we have already seen, and so scientists around the world have deepened its study through the use of the latest technology that allows its monitoring in water.
