Hobbies And Interests
Types
Algae are single-celled plants with cell walls and other features characteristic of plants. Protists are single-celled organisms lacking a cell wall, but with more interior structures than cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria are an ancient, and possibly the first, photosynthetic life form, lacking many of the interior structures found in algae and protists.
Function
Phytoplankton are the basis of many aquatic food chains, as they are the primary source of food energy that nourishes many other animals in the ecosystem. They are also a major producer of atmospheric oxygen.
Chemical Reaction
Phytoplankton, by photosynthetic chemical reactions, use the sun's energy to capture carbon and turn it into food energy. As a by-product of this reaction, they produce oxygen.