The PhD in Marine Sciences from the ULPGC, specializing in the study of the ecology, physiology, and biochemistry of these organisms, and a member of the university institute's BIOCON group, points out in this informative article that zooplankton may seem "insignificant due to its size," but it is the "foundation on which life in the sea rests," feeding fish and whales and regulating the global climate, so its importance is "gigantic in the delicate balance" of the ocean
Inma Herrera, a researcher with the Biodiversity and Conservation group (BIOCON) at the ECOAQUA university institute, part of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), has highlighted the "key role" that the zooplankton community plays "in the health of the oceans and the planet" in an informative article entitled "The small wandering organisms that sustain life in the ocean," recently published in the prestigious scientific journal The Conversation, which can be consulted at The following link: https://theconversation.com/los-pequenos-organismos-errantes-que-sustentan-la-vida-en-el-oceano-248031
In this article, the PhD in Marine Sciences from the ULPGC, specialized in the study of the ecology, physiology, and biochemistry of zooplankton, and Competitive Postdoctoral Researcher, points out the “vital importance of zooplankton in marine food chains.”
In his words, “zooplankton is a group of tiny organisms that float in the water, carried by the currents. The word ‘plankton,’ he indicates, “comes from the Greek planktos, which means wandering, and that perfectly defines their lifestyle.”
Within this group, Herrera asserts, are everything from fish and crab larvae to microscopic beings like copepods, “tiny crustaceans that look like small shrimp but are invisible to the naked eye.” Curiously, one of them “has become famous” as ‘Sheldon J. Plankton’ in the famous animated series ‘SpongeBob SquarePants.’”
On the left, freshly collected zooplankton in a humid environment, and on the right, a fraction of zooplankton ready for observation under a stereomicroscope.
According to the researcher, some organisms in the zooplankton community "spend their entire lives in planktonic form (holoplankton)," while other organisms, such as crab or octopus larvae, "are only planktonic during their early life stages (meroplankton)."
Holoplankton zooplankton, which spend their entire lives in this way (above), and meroplankton, which only spend part of their lives this way (below).
The importance of zooplankton in the oceans is absolutely crucial, since, says Herrera, “it is a fundamental part of marine food webs.” These tiny creatures “sustain all components of marine ecosystems, including corals, fish, and marine mammals, as their initial biomass production feeds a wide variety of organisms. This ensures the stability of fisheries and aquaculture, essential for the global economy and food security.”
Climate Regulation
Zooplankton contribute “significantly to climate regulation through carbon sequestration.” The researcher points out that “part of the plankton biomass sinks and is stored in seafloor sediments, which helps capture carbon over the long term and mitigates climate impacts.”
Furthermore, Herrera reveals that “zooplankton populations respond quickly to changes in their environment, making them effective early indicators for detecting alterations in ocean conditions, such as changes in water quality due to pollution or eutrophication. These data are also key for reconstructing historical patterns and predicting future environmental changes.”
Volcanoes as Natural Laboratories
In Inma Herrera's opinion, “the ocean is not a static place. Its ecosystems are constantly changing, and natural events, such as volcanic eruptions, can profoundly alter it.”
ECOAQUA's BIOCON group researcher Inma Herrera.
The underwater eruption of the Tagoro volcano, near El Hierro, in 2011 transformed the marine ecosystem, with a significant impact on zooplankton. In the case of the 2021 eruption of the Tajogaite volcano on La Palma, the researcher argues in the aforementioned article, "it presented a unique scenario for studying how marine communities react to extreme events.
In the Canary Islands, events such as the volcanic eruptions of El Hierro and La Palma "have reminded us that the oceans are alive and constantly changing, and that zooplankton, although small, react to extreme changes and play a gigantic role in this delicate balance."
These cases underscore the role of zooplankton as "a key indicator of changes in carbon dynamics in ecosystems subject to extreme disturbances, such as volcanic eruptions," even allowing us to anticipate responses to climate change and natural events."
“Today more than ever, we need to understand and protect zooplankton. Climate change is warming the oceans, altering ocean currents, and making the waters more acidic. All of this directly affects these tiny organisms and, consequently, the entire marine ecosystem,” Herrera asserts.
Therefore, the researcher concludes, “zooplankton may seem insignificant due to their size, but they are the foundation on which life in the sea rests: from feeding fish and whales to regulating the global climate, their importance cannot be underestimated.”
For all these reasons, Inma Herrera recommends in this article that “the next time you look at the sea, remember that beneath those blue waters, millions of tiny beings are silently working to keep the planet in balance. Caring for them is caring for us all.”