EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Because phytoplankton are tiny, they don’t weigh very much and they have a large surface area relative to their volume, which helps them float. Adaptations such as spines increase the surface area even more and prevent phytoplankton from sinking too fast.

Detailed explanation-2: -Plankton have evolved many different ways to keep afloat. Spikes, like those on a radiolarian, help to distribute its weight over a large surface area and slowing its sinking. Many organisms, such as copepods and diatoms, produce oil to keep them afloat. The Portuguese man-o-war uses an air-filled sac to stay afloat.

Detailed explanation-3: -These adaptations include: flat bodies, lateral spines, long thin appendages, which increase the amount of their body surface area in contact with the water. Water tends to stick to these surfaces and keep the plankton from sinking. Another approach is to increase ones buoyancy.

Detailed explanation-4: -Because they need light, phytoplankton live near the surface, where enough sunlight can penetrate to power photosynthesis.

Detailed explanation-5: -Adaptations include: flat bodies, lateral spines, oil droplets, floats filled with gases, sheaths made of gel-like substances, and ion replacement. The flat body and spines allow some species of plankton to resist sinking by increasing the surface area of their bodies while minimizing the volume.