Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff Lauren Vogelbaum here. One of Earth's unsung heroes, is also among its tiniest. Plankton, a single celled algae. It's barely visible to the eye, but it contributes to some of the world's most important resources. It's essential to the food chain. It's a main supplier of oxygen, and it's the fuel that keeps our cars running and our homes heated. These organisms, no bigger than a human hair,
float in the sunny upper parts of the ocean. The two main types of plankton, phytoplankton and zooplankton, support one another. Phytoplankton and organisms so small that millions can fit in one drop of water, produces its own energy through photosynthesis.
It accounts for nearly half of all photosynthesis on the planet. Zoloplankton, which are tiny animals and crustaceans like copa pods, along with other small fish and marine creatures, eat phytoplankton, then become food for bigger fish and so on up the food chain, from seals to dolphins. Virtually every creature in the ocean eats either plankton or an organism that depends on plankton in a David versus Goliath like battle. Filter feeding Baleen whales like the humpback rely on tiny organisms
such as plankton and krill. Like a filter, these whales take in huge gulps of water, then use their tongues to push out liquid so food like krill and plankton remain right. Whales also swim open mouthed through plankton filled waters. They trapped the plankton, and their tongue pushes the organisms down their throat. But plankton's role in the food chain doesn't stop in the ocean. Polar bears and seabirds rely on plankton fueled meals like seals and fish. Even humans
count on fish and therefore plankton to survive. Americans alone eat around fifteen and a half pounds or about seven kilos of fish and shellfish per purse in per year. That's a whole out of plankton. Plankton itself is even making its way toward dinner tables. It's not common in restaurants yet, but algel Leon and new Mendez, both chefs of Michelin starred restaurants in Britain, added plankton to a special event menu in This included delicacies like a plankton
cocktail and a plankton risotto. Leon told the UK newspaper Metro it's velvety and dry before mixing it with liquid. Silky ones mixed oily and elegant, pungent on the nose, yet subtle and leaves a long finish in the mouth. While it's still rare in restaurants, plankton is slowly catching on.
According to fine dining lovers, Plankton producers like Spanish agriculture company Phytoplankton Merino are growing the microalgae for human consumption, and one chef even tried his hand at phytoplankton bread. Plankton's earthly contributions go beyond the food chain. Marine plants like phytoplankton kelp and algil plank din produce of earths oxygen. In fact, Prochlorococcus, a type of phytoplankton, produces the oxygen for one out of every five breaths a human takes,
and Phytoplankton's superpowers don't stop there. Not only do they help produce oxygen through photosynthesis, phytoplankton also take carbon from the atmosphere during the process of living and store it deep in the ocean when they die, which ultimately helps curb climate change. This is similar to the processed trees used to store carbon in leaves, and since photosynthesis consumes carbon dioxide, the carbon is basically stored in each plankton.
One group of scientists found that phytoplankton incorporate up to forty five to fifty billion tons of inorganic carbon into their cells, and that petroleum we use to fuel our cars. It's made through a process that dates back to ancient seas, and it also involves that tiny superhero of an organism, plankton. When plankton dye, they sink to the bottom of the oceans. Here, debris settles on top of them, and chemical reactions transform the materials into waxy carrogen and bitumen, a black tar
that's one of the main ingredients of petroleum. The carriagin also undergoes further changes as it heats and it becomes what's known as crude oil, or if temperatures are even hotter, natural gas. Plankton may be essential, but this small organism is also a little bit tricksy. Scientists have long struggle to accurately predict phytoplankton numbers and growth rates, but that changed in two thousand five thanks to NASA's satellite observations.
VANASA reported that scientists can figure out phytoplankton numbers based on how green water is. When phytoplankton't get stressed by cold water, they become less green. Phytoplankton rich waters become greener as conditions and growth rates improve. Oh And by night, plankton filled water can glow through the organ s's bioluminescence electric blue, green, red, or orange. Researchers estimate phytoplankton makes up one percent of all of Earth's biomass. That's the
total mass of organisms, but that number is dwindling. A study published in the journal Nature in July showed that gradually warming ocean waters have destroyed some of Earth's phytoplankton since ninety Whether we know it or not, all humans rely on this microalgae. That's why a decrease or more is worrisome. Today's episode was written by Stephanie Vermillion and produced by Tyler Clay. For more on this and lots of other supergreen topics visit how stuff works dot com.
Brain Stuff is production of iHeart Radio. More podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.