Plankton are mostly microscopic algae and animals found throughout Earth's oceans, seas and lakes, although a few species are visible to humans. Unlike fish, plankton can't swim against the current.

The two most prominent types of plankton in the ocean are zooplankton, which are tiny animal organisms, and phytoplankton, which are plantlike. (Other forms of plankton include bacterial and fungal.

Plankton are microscopic plants and animals that make up the base of the marine food chain, meaning they are a basic source of energy for marine life all the way up to large predators like sharks ...

Human-made structures act as artificial reefs, luring plankton and, in turn, Earth’s largest fish. That could put whale sharks at risk of ship strikes.

The Continuous Plankton Recorder device is towed in surface waters and occupies a similar space to a marine mammal. It has been used to monitor the oceans since 1931 ...

Climate change may also affect plankton numbers. As a slow-growing species that produces very few young, basking sharks are particularly vulnerable to extinction, which is why the animal is listed ...

Image caption, This is one type of plankton viewed through a microscope. In fact, many scientists believe that these tiny plants and animals are amongst the most important in our seas. They may ...