Plankton balloon to six times their size in newly discovered mode of oceanic travel
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Many plankton journey from the cold, dark depths of our oceans to the surface, only to eventually drift down again into the darkness in a perpetual rhythm. Yet, how single-celled phytoplankton, most of which have no appendages to help them swim, make this pilgrimage has remained a mystery.
In a paper published October 17 in Current Biology, researchers describe a species of bioluminescent phytoplankton, called Pyrocystis noctiluca, that balloons to six times their original size of a few hundred microns.
This massive inflation allows the plankton to journey up to 200 meters toward the ocean's surface to capture sunlight, then sink back, showcasing a unique strategy for long-distance ocean travel.
