Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Superorder: Eucarida
Order: Euphausiacea
Body type: Exoskeleton, looks like a lobster
Krill are very small shrimp-like crustaceans. The word krill comes from Norway which means “young fry fish.” Krill don’t interact with the ocean floor. They stay in the upper portion of the ocean so that they can feed on phytoplankton. When krill die, they do become part of the ocean sediment.
Chemical
Krill use chemicals in the ocean water to make their exoskeleton shell. About 60% of the salt mixture of the shells is calcium and magnesium. They use their gills to breath dissolved oxygen in water.
Physical
When krill are first born, they are too small and weak to swim. Krill float around and feed on smaller plankton. Krill molt outer shells as they grow, and they can reverse molt when food supplies are low. When krill get older, they swim to the upper layer of the ocean to eat because most of their food needs the sun for photosynthesis.
Conclusion
Krill are one the lowest organisms on the food chain. Whales and other fish all eat krill.
Krill are a very important part of the food chain. They feed on the very small phytoplankton which they use to make energy for larger animals that eat the krill.
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Superorder: Eucarida
Order: Euphausiacea
Body type: Exoskeleton, looks like a lobster
Krill are very small shrimp-like crustaceans. The word krill comes from Norway which means “young fry fish.” Krill don’t interact with the ocean floor. They stay in the upper portion of the ocean so that they can feed on phytoplankton. When krill die, they do become part of the ocean sediment.
Chemical
Krill use chemicals in the ocean water to make their exoskeleton shell. About 60% of the salt mixture of the shells is calcium and magnesium. They use their gills to breath dissolved oxygen in water.
Physical
When krill are first born, they are too small and weak to swim. Krill float around and feed on smaller plankton. Krill molt outer shells as they grow, and they can reverse molt when food supplies are low. When krill get older, they swim to the upper layer of the ocean to eat because most of their food needs the sun for photosynthesis.
Conclusion
Krill are one the lowest organisms on the food chain. Whales and other fish all eat krill.
Krill are a very important part of the food chain. They feed on the very small phytoplankton which they use to make energy for larger animals that eat the krill.
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krill#cite_note-0
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/krill/
http://reefrelief.org/2011/04/coral-reef-facts-april-12-2011-krill/
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T6R-49NPX8W-S6&_user=567603&_coverDate=11%2F30%2F1981&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=gateway&_origin=gateway&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000028943&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=567603&md5=7495a639c5fe2d51e1448b08ff4f1359&searchtype=a
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