Plankton are one of the most important types of creatures on our entire planet and their habits are changing.
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00:05 Plankton may be tiny, but their value to our planet's ecosystem is paramount.
00:09 Which is why researchers are particularly concerned with new evidence that shows
00:13 plankton might start migrating towards the poles if ocean temperatures rise only a few degrees.
00:18 So why are plankton so important?
00:20 Well, to start, they're the second most plentiful organism on the entire planet,
00:24 outpaced only by bacteria, meaning if plankton die off,
00:27 likely so would every single other marine species in existence.
00:30 But what's more, phytoplankton sequester carbon and are one of the top oxygen producers for the planet,
00:36 meaning changes in their habitats or distribution is a major concern to scientists.
00:40 Experts say that if ocean surface temperatures get higher than 77 degrees Fahrenheit,
00:44 zooplankton would move away from tropics towards the poles,
00:47 meaning at least some of the phytoplankton that are already there would be replaced, up to 40%.
00:52 Species diversity is usually a good thing,
00:54 but not so much when we can't quantify its impacts on the environment and worldwide ecosystems,
00:59 which the researchers say could pose a threat to already established ecosystems
01:03 already living closer to the poles, as the current polar plankton are of the larger varieties,
01:08 are a food source for marine life there,
01:10 and feature a greater carbon sink than their smaller equatorial counterparts.
01:15 [MUSIC]