Piece Description

Plankton: The Ocean's Tiny Lifesavers In this instalment of our series, we look at what role plankton plays in marine ecosystems, and how their loss could have cascading effects. Conversations about preserving biodiversity often center on cute, furry animals that are in danger of becoming extinct -- pandas for instance -- with which the public can easily identify. But what about organisms like plankton that are so small that you need a microscope just to see them? These organisms rarely get the attention they deserve, especially considering they are at the bottom of the oceanic food chain. Living Planet went to the tiny islands of Helgoland in the North Sea to find out how plankton lie at the heart of dramatic changes taking place in our oceans. (Report: Andrew Ryan)