PHOTOPLANKTON IN THE OCEAN WORKSHEET

Drawing showing cross-section of land and ocean boundary with sun in sky

Question: Where would you live if you were phytoplankton?

1. What resources do phytoplankton need to photosynthesize and reproduce?

2. Use the following websites to find information about where these resources are found in the ocean. Draw what you find on the picture above.

Temperate Oceans: Light Zones
Seawater Composition (Scroll down to where it says “Dissolved Nutrients”)

3. After visiting these resources, indicate on the map where you would live if you were phytoplankton. Why did you choose this spot? What resource(s) would be scarce in that part of the ocean?

DLESE Teaching Boxes | October 2005