If you ask anyone who produces oxygen in the ecosystem, without hesitating, they will say trees, and no one else. However, as absurd as it sounds, terrestrial trees and plants are not the primary source of oxygen. But if it's not plants, what else could it be ? The answer is Plankton, and they live in the sea. This article talks about plankton and aims to educate you all about the lesser known heroes of our ecosystem

The word Plankton is not just confined to one particular species, but rather a huge collection of closely related tiny aquatic organisms. Bacteria, algae crustaceans, mollusks, and even more come under the word Plankton. The major differentiating factor of plankton is their means of locomotion.They are so small that they cannot swim against the current, so they do the next best thing: Drift Along.

Although small, these tiny drifting organisms are essential in sustaining life on Earth, especially in the ocean.  Many animals, including whales, rely on them for food. Plankton that are plants, known as phytoplankton, grow and get their own energy through photosynthesis and are responsible for producing an estimated 80% of the world’s oxygen (www.earthsky.org). Due to this revolutionary discovery, Scientists are now gaining an increased interest in studying the intricacies related to phytoplankton, and new discoveries regarding these tiny organisms are nothing but inevitable. I hope I have taught you all something new about the aquatic ecosystem !