Researchers collected diplonemids off the coast of California.

Researchers collected diplonemids off the coast of California.
Photo Credit: Alyson Santoro

Tiny but abundant organism plays huge role in oceans

Scientists have known about the single-celled diplonemids for almost a century, but they didn’t know how vast their numbers were in the ocean. Their predatory nature and sheer numbers suggest they play a dramatic role in ecosystems and the biosphere.

Researchers from Canada and other countries have collected, analysed and photographed diplonemids and made several discoveries about the mostly- transparent creatures about 100 times smaller than the head of a pin.

One of the diplonemid predators captured and recorded at sea during the expedition.
One of the diplonemid predators captured and recorded at sea during the expedition © Noriko Okamoto

‘They eat more diverse creatures’

“The first thing was that we confirmed they really are abundant,” says Patrick Keeling, a microbiologist at the University of British Columbia. “The other thing that we found was that they’re really diverse…

“We also found that their behaviour was a little bit greater than what we were expecting. They eat more diverse creatures in the ocean including some apparently really large algae. And that has an impact on what role they’re having in the ocean ecosystem.”

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Important to learn more as climate changes

The ocean is sometimes called the lungs of the earth for the importance it plays in the biosphere. Global warming is changing the oceans so Keeling says it’s important to find out more about diplonemids and the role they play in order to understand the changes that are coming.
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Categories: Environment & Animal Life
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