Ancient bacteria, single cells and long strands of strange little plants, plus minute single-celled animals and weird fantastical animal larvae – these are the members of the Earth's massive and hugely important planktonic ecosystems. Come with Nan Evans as she talks with Dr. Gretchen Rollwagen-Bollens about this strange world and its significance to global ecology and human well being. Consider eutrophication, the world's biggest threat to water quality, or cyanobacteria, one of the causes of toxic algal blooms such as the ones in our local Anderson Lake (part 1 of a two-part program). (Airdate: April 10, 2024)

Watch Dr. Stephen Bollens' and Dr. Gretchen Rollwagen-Bollens' lecture: The Mysterious World of Plankton: Cascading Migrations in a Fertile Fjord.

Learn more:
Aquatic Ecology Lab at WSU Vancouver
Eutrophication: Causes, Consequences, and Controls in Aquatic Ecosystems
The Secret Life of Plankton from TED-Ed
Why Are Plankton the Most Vital Organisms on Earth? from BBC Earth

Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and want to support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!