By Cassie Martin
Originally published at Oceans at MIT and MIT News, May 26, 2015
Plankton are vital to life on Earth — they absorb carbon dioxide, generate nearly half of the oxygen we breathe, break down waste, and are a cornerstone of the marine food chain. Now, new research indicates the diminutive creatures are not only more diverse than previously thought, but also profoundly affected by their environment.
Tara Oceans, an international consortium of researchers from MIT and elsewhere that has been exploring the world’s oceans in hopes of learning more about one of its smallest inhabitants, reported their initial findings this week in a special issue of Science. From 2009 to 2012, a small crew sailed on a 110-foot schooner collecting 35,000 samples of marine microbes and viruses from 200 locations around the globe — facing pirates, high winds…
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