Phytoplankton support zooplankton, fish and top predators, with energy lost at each level.
Energy transfer efficiencies are around 10 percent. Microbial loop recycles nutrients. Top predators such as tuna and sharks are reduced by fishing, a process called fishing down the food web.
Microbes dominate energy flow in the oceans. Zooplankton vertical migration transfers carbon. Overfishing alters web structure.
Example: forage fish like sardines link plankton to predators.
Phytoplankton support zooplankton, fish and top predators, with energy lost at each level.
Marine Food Webs is one of the 54 topics in Marine & Environmental Biology. It is rated Intermediate, so it suits learners who already know the core vocabulary. Related topics in this area include Plankton, Marine Microplastics Biology, Biological Pump.
The Antarctic food web depends on krill.
Work through the Beginner topics in Marine & Environmental Biology first, such as Oceans, Ocean Zones, Plankton, then return to Marine Food Webs. Intermediate topics assume the Beginner vocabulary.
The closest topics to Marine Food Webs are Plankton, Marine Microplastics Biology, Biological Pump, Marine Protected Areas. Comparing them side by side is a good way to see how the ideas connect.
Read the summary and the in-depth section, then use the quick check on the interactive lesson for Marine Food Webs. To practise the whole of Marine & Environmental Biology, use the Marine & Environmental Biology quiz.
Marine Food Webs: Phytoplankton support zooplankton, fish and top predators, with energy lost at each level. Plankton: Drifting organisms: phytoplankton photosynthesise and zooplankton feed on them, forming the base of marine food webs. Read both side by side and note what each one explains.
First, read the summary and write the definition in your own words. Second, read the in-depth section and note any example. Third, compare it with Plankton and explain the difference aloud. Finally, take the Marine & Environmental Biology quiz and come back to this page for any question you miss.
Drifting organisms: phytoplankton photosynthesise and zooplankton feed on them, forming the base of marine food webs.
🌊 Marine & Environmental BiologyTiny particles carry pollutants and microbes and are ingested at every trophic level.
🌊 Marine & Environmental BiologySinking organic matter transports carbon from surface waters to the deep ocean.
🌊 Marine & Environmental BiologyOcean zones with restrictions on fishing and development that let ecosystems recover.
🌊 Marine & Environmental Biology