Ocean-drifting plant and animal plankton swirl and turn with the sea in three-dimensional sea-space. They are bizarre yet fascinating creatures that exhibit a seemingly endless variety of body forms, modes of locomotion, and behaviors that are shaped by the physics of life at small scale. Plankton are the unseen engine producing 50% of the oxygen we breathe, and are the foundation of one of our planet’s most dynamic food webs. Plankton are a large part of the abundance and diversity of marine life in New England’s waters.
◾ Dinoflagellate, Ceratium tripos (20 microns)
© 2022 Keith Ellenbogen
◾ Polychaete larva; size ~300 μm
Larval nudibranch
© 2022 Keith Ellenbogen
◾ Larval nudibranch
© 2022 Keith Ellenbogen
◾ Larval crab at the megalops stage; size ~1 mm
© 2022 Keith Ellenbogen
◾ Zooplankton (Evadne nordmanni);
pregnant; size 0.9-1.35 mm
© 2022 Keith Ellenbogen
◾ Dinoflagellate (Protoperidinium sp.); size 50 μm
© 2022 Keith Ellenbogen
◾ Northern shortfin squid developing within an egg case
© 2022 Keith Ellenbogen
◾ American Lobster eggs in the later stages of development;
Oval black circles are eyespots.
© 2022 Keith Ellenbogen
◾ Stage IV, American Lobster (Homarus americanus)
© 2022 Keith Ellenbogen
◾ Dinoflagellate, Ceratium tripos (20 microns)
◾ Polychaete larva; size ~300 μm
◾ Larval nudibranch
◾ Larval crab at the megalops stage; size ~1 mm
◾ Zooplankton (Evadne nordmanni); pregnant; size 0.9-1.35 mm
◾ Dinoflagellate (Protoperidinium sp.); size 50 μm
◾ Northern shortfin squid developing within an egg case
◾ American Lobster eggs in the later stages of development;
oval black circles are eyespots
◾ Stage IV, American Lobster (Homarus americanus)
Gallery View
