Name:
Period:
a closer look at
Date:
Plankton
Station 1: Brine Shrimp under dissecting microscope
1. What physical adaptations allow the brine shrimp to survive? (focus
on motility and eating)
Station 2: Diagramming a plankton
1. Drawing is an essential skill for the scientist. Diagrams do not have to
be beautiful, but they do need to be detailed and accurate. Draw the
brine shrimp in the space below.
Station 3: It pays to be small!
Phytoplankton use sunlight to photosynthesize their food. The greater the
surface area they have to collect sunlight, the more food they can make.
Therefore, the greater the ratio of surface area to volume they have, the
more successful they are. As an object gets smaller, the ratio of surface
area to volume gets bigger. Let’s prove this.
Instructions: Roll the green clay into a perfect sphere. Examine its
surface area and consider how much space it takes up (volume). Cut the ball
exactly down the middle with the knife.
1. How has the volume changed?
2. Do you have: half of the surface area, more than half, or less than
half?
As plankton gets smaller, it will continue to have a larger ratio of surface
area to volume…very handy for an autotrophy. Why can’t they get any
smaller?
Station 4: What’s in the water?
This sample was taken from the water by Monahan’s dock. Based on the
number of plankton seen under the scope, how many microorganisms would
you swallow in a mouthful of seawater?
Station 5: Copepods, insects of the sea
1. Sketch the copepod below.
2. Adaptations ensure an organism’s survival. Label the function of the
parts of the copepod.
3. Field guides are handy for exploring the natural world. Identify the
type of plankton using the field guide provided.
Station 6: Nekton larvae, an example meroplankton
The meroplankton pictured is a pipefish.
1. Sketch the pipefish and label any parts that are clear.
Station 7: Clam larvae
Many larval nekton (meroplankton) don’t quite resemble their adult selves.
1. What do larval clams have in common with their adult selves?
Station 8: Plankton populations over a year (at your desk or at home)
Use the graph below to answer the following questions. Proper answers
require thought.
1. When do phytoplankton reproduce quickly (bloom)? Why do you think?
2. Why do you think the zooplankton start to increase in number just
after the phytoplankton?
3. Why do the zooplankton start to die as summer is winding down?
4. Why do the phytoplankton recover in the fall? Why do they
ultimately decrease in number again as winter is setting in?
Extra time: Clam larvae and freshwater plankton
Check out some freshwater plankton in the worm family and some clam
larvae.