SoundGeneration: Plankton of the Sound!

SoundGeneration has been continuing their plankton research out on the Long Island Sound! Last week interns caught some very unique plankton.

Many marine animals begin their lives as plankton, spending time suspended in the water column. Oftentimes the larvae of these animals do not resemble their adult form. Crustaceans, such as crabs, begin their lives as plankton and reach their adult form through a series of molts. With each molt, the crab sheds it’s hard outer skeleton, the exoskeleton, to reveal a larger one underneath. The above pictured plankton is one example of a larval crab found in the plankton sample!

The second find of the trip was a copepod with eggs attached to it’s body! These creatures, as opposed to crabs, are forever a member of the plankton community. Copepods are another type of crustacean and go through a series of molts throughout their lives. This species of copepod encloses it’s eggs in a protective sac that is attached to the female’s body until they hatch. This egg sac is visible on the left hand side of the above picture!

Check back for more updates on our plankton research!