New photos offer a fascinating glimpse into the unseen alien-like world of microscopic plankton – the diverse collection of tiny organisms found in water and the air.
Jan van IJken is a Dutch photographer who has published his collection plankton imagery taken from Dutch puddles, lakes, and seas. It was part of the film and photography project ‘Planktonium.
Plankton, a Greek term that refers to their existence is in a drifting condition’. They are incapable of propelling themselves against wind or current.
It is similar to ‘Nekton,’ which means ‘to swim,’ and includes actively swimming organisms like fish, squids, octopus sharks, marine mammals, and squid.
Van IJken’s collection includes a wide variety of plankton, from copepods, water fleas, diatoms (single-celled algae), cyanobacteria and more.
This image captured by Dutch photographer Jan van IJken as part of the Planktonium project shows a planktonic copepod with diatoms (algae) attached
Gloeotrichia is a colonial genus that contains cyanobacteria. It measures approximately 2 mm in size. Cyanobacteria, a sub-division of microorganisms capable of photosynthesis and related to bacteria, is one division.
Van IJken’s website states that these stunningly beautiful and diverse organisms, which are virtually invisible to the naked eye are not known to us.
“But, they wander beneath all the waters surrounding us and are vitally important for all life on Earth.
Plankton plays an essential role in oxygen production, aquatic food web development and carbon life cycle.
Scientists estimate that 50% to 80 percent of Earth’s oxygen comes from the ocean according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This is mainly due to oceanic plankton.
There are two main types of plankton – phytoplankton, which are plants, and zooplankton, which are animals. The ocean’s uppermost layers are where phytoplankton flourishes. They provide fish with a source of food and nutrient-rich shelter.
The echinoderm larva is shown in the picture. An echinoderm is any member of the phylum Echinodermata of marine animals, characterised by a hard, spiny covering or skin
Van IJken, however warns plankton that they are at risk from climate change and global warming as well as acidification of oceans.
As well as many photos on the website, van IJken has created a short film of the plankton in motion that’s scored by Norwegian artist Jana Winderen.
Planktonium has been acquired by Museum De Lakenhal in the Dutch city of Leiden, where the film will be screened from January 22 as a part of Leiden European City of Science 2022.
Waterfleas that carry eggs. Because their saltatory swimming style is similar to that of fleas, waterfleas get the name Waterfleas.
Diatoms are single-celled algae. Jan van IJken states: “These astonishingly beautiful, diverse, and many organisms are invisible, but they are drifting around in all water around us.”