Phytoplankton are perhaps the most important group of organisms on our planet. They are microscopic, single-celled galaxies that come in many different shapes and sizes. They are the movers and shakers of our marine ecosystems that transfer energy into food webs. Without them, there would be no krill, fish, penguins, seals or albatrosses. Basically, phytoplankton use nutrients from the water and, together with sunshine, create energy (via photosynthesis) that enables them to grow and multiply. When conditions are just right, phytoplankton are capable of erupting into enormous blooms. Below is a satellite image of a phytoplankton bloom associated with upwelling along the edge of a meso-scale eddy north of South Georgia: The focus of my PhD is all about understanding the at-sea movements of two penguin species from Marion Island (the larger of the Prince Edward Islands). Because these penguins feed on krill, and krill feed on phytoplankton, peng
A few weeks ago I was admiring the veggie patch behind our house when I noticed the red pepper plant had a leaf with another stray leaf resting on it. I gave it a tug but it was fastened solidly. I decided to peel away the front and have a look to see who was living inside. I often see jumping spiders prowling through the garden, but I hardly ever see them doing more than that. Their world is so miniature, and so its really special when you happen to meet them at an interesting moment. Two weeks later, a little jumping spider had caught a common house fly just one plant down from the red pepper. He wasn't actively eating it, but just holding onto it, waiting. I then glimpsed a tiny ant making its way up the stem towards the spider. When it approached, the spider, who had been rather still, shuffled to the end of the leaf with the ant hot on its heels. Just as the ant was about to make contact, the spider suddenly rappelled down to a lower leaf along a thin stra