There is always a bigger fish, but sometimes the small are the ones that count. In the field of oceanography a recent Nature paper suggests that biologically generated turbulence - swimming and other movements - from the multitude of organisms actually contribute significantly to the mixing of water in the ocean. This mixing does not necessarily come from the animals actively pushing water around, but rather from the viscosity of water itself, which makes a portion of water stick to the animal and follow its movement between the strata of the ocean.
Warm and cold water from different layers mix, energy is transferred, gas are moved between water bodies of different solubility - and in the end the water movements, weather and climate of the whole biosphere is affected. "Even the smallest creatures in the acids of the marsh", as the troubadour sings.
The capacity of the jellyfish Mastigias for moving water is demonstrated in this neat video, with the help of some ink.
Copyright: Katija & Dabiri
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