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A Brief Explanation of The Marine Food Web
To explain the marine food web lets first put things in context. Every creature and every organism are connected to each other. We are interdependent with the flora and fauna, be it on land, in the air and in the water, of our planet although we may consider ourselves the dominant species. Such is our interconnections that whatever happens to the smallest microorganisms on Earth will affect our human society.
Human Food Source
This is all too true with the marine food web particularly where the marine phytoplankton is concerned. With over 70 percent of the Earth covered in water, it is natural that significant portions of the human population depend on the oceans, lakes and streams for their food in its various forms.
Thus, we consume the bounties of the sea like the fish, shellfish and seaweed in their many forms from raw sushi to the processed gelatin and everything else that we can artificially derive from the natural products of the oceans. However, we may be on top of the food chain but there are other creatures of the sea that play significant roles in the food web.
Shortest Chain
Probably the smallest of these creatures are the microscopic organisms known as the phytoplankton, which are the autotrophic parts of the plankton group. In layman's terms, these are the floating masses of light brown to deep green matter on the topmost surface of the natural bodies of water. These large aggregations of marine phytoplankton are eaten by the shrimp-like creatures known as krill that are, in turn, the main form of sustenance for many types of whales including blue, bowhead, baleen and gray.
Indeed, it is the shortest chain in the marine food web - phytoplankton, krill and whale - that still amazes scientists and laymen alike considering the vast difference in size between these three components. Thus, when the phytoplankton dies out, the population of whales is also in danger of being wiped out simply because of lack of food in the chain. And because we are all connected, other organisms will also be adversely affected with varying degrees of impact.
Survival of the Planet
We are not just talking about the survival of a few species of marine plants and animals if for example phytoplankton dies out in significant areas of the world. We are instead talking of the survival of the planet as we know it today. Yes, global warming and climate change are also valid causes for concern but so is the marine food web in relation to the phytoplankton population.
Consider these scientific facts that researchers have uncovered. First, phytoplankton has been discovered to be the basis for all life forms on Earth because of its ability to convert sunlight into energy and nutrients through a process called photosynthesis.
Second, phytoplankton generates more than one-half of all the oxygen present on Earth. Without marine phytoplankton, everything that we know as life on Earth will be non-existent. Plus, the energy generated by phytoplankton performs a significant role in the regulation of the world's climate.
Indeed, not only is phytoplankton a highly critical component of the marine food web but it is also an important source of biological energy. We can only imagine the health benefits that consumption of phytoplankton can have on the human body considering its abundance of nutrients that nourish the longest-living creatures on the planet and that provide essential oxygen to the Earth.
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