Tuesday June 3, 2025
Earth.com —
Tiny floating organisms known as plankton hold a key position in the oceans. They help sustain marine life and have a big hand in regulating the planet’s climate by storing carbon.
Their ability to adjust cell membranes has long been studied in labs. Now, large datasets collected in real-world conditions show how these organisms can alter their cell membrane makeup in response to changing light and nutrients.
Dr. Weimin Liu from the Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen (MARUM) helped direct this new global study. The project used open-access data and fresh analytical methods to uncover connections between chemical changes and local conditions.
Plankton include both phytoplankton and zooplankton, each with specific roles in the marine food web. Phytoplankton capture sunlight and convert carbon dioxide into energy, giving other creatures a stable supply of food.
Once they adjust their chemistry, it can affect how they share important compounds with other organisms. These small transformations might influence fisheries and other parts of the ocean economy.