Aug. 20: Demystifying zooplankton
Final 2015 Ocean Currents lecture, Kid's Lab to focus on zooplankton
11:38 a.m., Aug. 10, 2015--When children think of sea creatures, they usually imagine species like dolphins, sharks and clownfish. However, the ocean is also teeming with tiny zooplankton that often go unnoticed by the human eye. Zooplankton support the marine food web on which bigger species rely.
On Thursday, Aug. 20, College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment (CEOE) graduate student Adam Wickline and Delaware Sea Grant (DESG) marine education specialist Chris Petrone will demystify zooplankton in the final installment of the 2015 CEOE Ocean Currents Lecture Series.
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The program will include a hands-on Kid’s Lab from 5:15-6:30 p.m., followed by a lecture geared toward adults at 7 p.m., both in Room 104 of Cannon Laboratory on UD’s Hugh R. Sharp Campus, 700 Pilottown Road, Lewes.
Attendance at the event is free and open to the public, but online registration for the Kid’s Lab is required prior to the event.
Zooplankton come in many shapes and sizes, from tiny crustaceans and jellyfish that spend their whole lives effortlessly riding the currents, to organisms in an early life stage, like crab and fish larvae.
“People don’t realize that all the well-known sea creatures like turtles and whales depend on a food pyramid supported by miniscule plankton,” Wickline said. “On land, we know that plants make up the bottom of the food chain because we see them growing, and see animals grazing. But in the ocean, the whole system is in constant motion and harder to observe. Picture grass floating around and cows grabbing it as it passes by — it’s such a foreign concept to us.”
Wickline, who is investigating zooplankton in the Delaware Bay with CEOE marine sciences professor Jonathan Cohen, will discuss the importance of zooplankton to marine systems, as well as cover some of the key players in the bay.
Zooplankton research
Since 2014, Cohen and Wickline have been collecting seasonal samples of zooplankton from 16 stations throughout the Delaware Bay. They use a specialized waterproof scanner called a Zooscan to sort and identify individual plankton from samples.
Cohen and Wickline will compare this survey to one compiled by UD’s first female marine biologist Joanne Daiber in the 1950s to observe whether species populations, variation and locations have changed. Their study will also serve as a baseline for future studies tracking the health of the bay.
“Zooplankton size and population can change with bay conditions and give us clues to climate change’s influence,” Wickline said. “When researchers are anticipating extreme weather events and higher temperatures associated with climate change, it’s important to see if those changes are experienced here.”
Kid’s Lab
Kids ages 5 and older are invited to dive into the world of zooplankton in the Kid’s Lab activity scheduled to precede the adult lecture. Led by DESG’s Petrone, children will have the opportunity to examine zooplankton under the microscope, build their own plankter and take-home craft and learn about the tiny creatures that call the ocean home.
Class size is limited to 20 children, and parents or guardians are asked to be present.
About the Ocean Currents Lecture Series
The School of Marine Science and Policy’s summer Ocean Currents Lecture Series is designed to connect the public with the cutting edge research CEOE faculty and students conduct throughout the year.
For additional information on these and other public events hosted by the School of Marine Science and Policy, visit the CEOE events page.
Article by Caren Fitzgerald