What is Phytoplankton?

Phytoplankton is a group of microscopic algae that live in suspension in marine, brackish and freshwaters providing 50% of the oxygen we breath. Its earliest representatives, cyanobacteria developed the oxygenic photosynthesis that formed the Earth’s oxygenic atmosphere, shaping the evolution of life over time. The endosymbiotic relationship between cyanobacteria and heterotrophic eukaryotes triggered microalgae evolution and resulted in various lineages. Planktic cyanobacteria and microalgae represent a great variety of genetic, morphological or behavioural differences that enable them to inhabit any kind of aquatic habitats on Earth where light is available.