Seabirds, Plankton and Climate Change (IMAGE)

University of California - Davis

Seabirds, Plankton and Climate Change

Caption

Seabirds like this Antarctic prion are the top predators of the Southern Ocean, feeding on krill that themselves feed on phytoplankton. New research shows that a chemical signal released by plankton, dimethyl sulfide or DMS, attracts seabirds that eat krill. DMS also plays a role in regulating the planet's temperature by influencing cloud formation.

Credit

Copyright Kevin Shafer, 2007.

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