Microworlds: Shapeshifters of the Sea

Plankton are masters of metamorphosis, undergoing some of the most dramatic changes of any animals on Earth.

Hey, teachers! Here’s a cheat sheet of what’s included in this episode of Microworlds:
Plankton, zooplankton
Metamorphosis
Life stages and cycles; juveniles and adults; parents and offspring
Physical and behavioral adaptations to local environments
Broadcast spawning, sexual reproduction
Diversity of life in the ocean
Sea stars, brittle stars, ribbon worms, mussels

We post our plankton finds on iNaturalist, an online community science platform for discovering, sharing, and learning about nature observations. Here are some of the organisms featured in this episode:

Brittle stars at different stages: 1- https://inaturalist.ca/observations/1... 2 - https://inaturalist.ca/observations/1... and 3 - https://inaturalist.ca/observations/1...
Ribbon worm larva: https://inaturalist.ca/observations/1... and adults: https://inaturalist.ca/observations/9... and https://inaturalist.ca/observations/9... )
Mussel: https://inaturalist.ca/observations/1...

This episode is part of our series Microworlds, where we shrink down and discover the wonderful lives of the tiny, the miniature, the microworlds.

Produced by Josh Silberg and Meigan Henry
Written by Josh Silberg
Edited by Kristina Blanchflower
Videography by Bennett Whitnell and Grant Callegari
Voice-over by Kristina Blanchflower
Microscopy/Scientific team: Alana Closs, Noriko Okamoto, Tyrell Froese, Faye Manning, and Kyle Hall
Additional footage by Tavish Campbell, Svetlana Maslakova, and Storyblocks