Some of the very large species of animals in the ocean, namely ...

[Zulu123]

Some of the very large species of animals in the ocean, namely whale sharks and baleen whales, feed on plankton. How can they support their large size eating microscopic organisms?

Question 2

What does ecological black market mean and how does it relate to the official economy of the food chain?

[dpost18]

Answer to Question 1

Because the plankton that baleen whales eat are at lower trophic levels than larger organisms, and therefore closer to primary producers, they are abundant. This requires little energy and makes feeding on those plankton very efficient.

Answer to Question 2

A complete microsystem-a community operating on the smallest possible scale-that manufactures and consumes particulate and dissolved carbon in amounts almost beyond comprehension. They function as sort of ecological black market below the official economy of the relatively huge diatoms and dinoflagellates. This black market economy is known as the microbial loop and is almost certainly more productive than the official economy. It is not available to fishes and other larger consumers because the small animals on which they prey are unable to separate these exceedingly small organisms from the surrounding water. Microconsumers simply use the carbon and shuttle the metabolic products back to the small cyanobacterial producers. The cyanobacteria that are not consumed by microflagellates may become infected by viruses that cause the cells to burst, adding to the supply of dissolved organic material.

[Zulu123]

Thank you!

[dpost18]

Always glad to help...