The fascinating World of Plankton

Post date: Feb 6, 2020 1:04:23 AM

October 20, 2019

The world beneath the surface of the ocean is incredible and fascinating. Every Thursday morning my group and I take a trip to Kapapapuhi point park to collect samples of plankton, and on the first day when we brought our samples back to the lab to make observations under the microscope, I remember being awestruck.There were so many tiny things living in the water that I had never given a second thought to. I had always been aware of the idea of plankton as the base of the food chain, but to see them with my own eyes was to realize how ignorant I had been of biodiversity in the past. It was the feeling of discovery; it dawned on me that the world was a lot more complex and beautiful than I had ever known.

And of course this new discovery came with it the understanding that I have a lot to learn, and it honestly has not come easy to me.It is easy to distinguish circular Diatoms, general Copepods, and Nauplii, but it is more difficult to identify pretty much anything else. For example, I saw something that I thought was a Polychaete Larva but it was only the skin of a barnacle Nauplii. I tend to see really weird things and I try to give them names but I am really poor at identifying/differentiating between organisms.

This is only the beginning, however, and it is easier to designate organisms when my group/mentors find something neat and explain to me what it is. Every week is different depending on things like the weather and the tide so it seems that my group always finds something new and exciting. In this way, I am always learning and growing my knowledge of the microscopic world of plankton.

-Kara Nichols