Why is there no plankton in the stream?
It is not true that there is basically no plankton in the stream. But there are reasons why there are generally fewer of these life forms in small streams.
The life forms of the plankton
Plankton is the term used for microorganisms that are found in many bodies of water. This world became known primarily through the plankton in the oceans, but the small creatures can also be found in ponds, rivers and rarely in quiet streams.
- Phytoplankton are unicellular plant cells. The types of algae that make up phytoplankton store more carbon in the oceans than tropical trees.
- The zooplankton consists of various single cells that do not belong to the plants. The main difference to phytoplankton is that the single cells of the zooplankton do not photosynthesize. Also among these unicellular organisms there are herbivores that feed on phytoplankton and "carnivores" that eat other non-herbal unicellular organisms.
- There are also organisms that belong to the plankton, although they are neither unicellular nor small. A species of jellyfish can grow up to nine meters in size, but shares the most important property of plankton: it does not move independently, but allows itself to be drifted by the current.
There is no plankton in the fast brook
The fact that plankton always drifts with the current is the most important reason fast flowing streams tend not to contain plankton.
What is plankton? - Information on the microorganisms
Plankton are called the smallest living things in the ocean. But as small as they are ...
- Before large numbers of algae and protozoa can develop, the water is many meters away from the source.
- But the slower a stream flows, the greater the likelihood of finding microorganisms in it.
- If the spring first feeds a small pond, from which the brook then flows, even a fast brook will no longer contain plankton-free water shortly after the spring. The unicellular organisms can develop in the spring pond and are carried away with the current.
