Marine Food Web

ocean · food chains · ecosystems · marine life

Phytoplankton start it all. Phytoplankton are single-celled algae and plant-like organisms that drift in the ocean and use sunlight to make their own food. They're so small you can't see them, but they feed almost everything else in the sea.

Zooplankton eat the plants. Zooplankton are tiny animals that eat phytoplankton and become the second level of the ocean food web. They're still invisible to your eyes, but fish, whales, and seabirds depend on them for meals.

Food chains stack up. Bigger fish eat zooplankton, sharks eat bigger fish, and whales might eat millions of zooplankton in a single gulp. Each level of the food web feeds the next one, creating an incredible chain of life.

Microorganisms matter most. Scientists have recently discovered that ocean microorganisms are even more important than we thought. These microscopic creatures do so much work keeping the ocean ecosystem healthy and balanced.