In fact, plankton are scientifically unclassified.Within the broad term of Plankton, lies a diversity ranging from protists, single celled plankton, to Phytoplankton, plants that contribute heavily to the marine ecosystem, to Zooplankton, animal larvae who grow out of the plankton classification with age (Encyclopedia). Meanwhile mankind belongs to the overarching species of Homo Sapien. The difference is clear. While study after study extensively reveals more and more of the human species, the plankton is unknown. In her book The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness, renowned naturalist Sy Montgomery writes, “These animals [plankton] have no brains and the barest of nervous systems. And yet there behavior is eloquently expressive,” she continues, “in their simple brainless behaviors, we can see ‘joy and sadness, of approach and avoidance, of vulnerability and safety’”(112-3). Imagine, if the brainless nerveless plankton is just as capable of emotion, what does that say about human understanding of the natural world? In recent memory, scientist had defined human as the only species capable of conscious emotion. Despite this, the plankton, among many other animals, have been defying human
In fact, plankton are scientifically unclassified.Within the broad term of Plankton, lies a diversity ranging from protists, single celled plankton, to Phytoplankton, plants that contribute heavily to the marine ecosystem, to Zooplankton, animal larvae who grow out of the plankton classification with age (Encyclopedia). Meanwhile mankind belongs to the overarching species of Homo Sapien. The difference is clear. While study after study extensively reveals more and more of the human species, the plankton is unknown. In her book The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness, renowned naturalist Sy Montgomery writes, “These animals [plankton] have no brains and the barest of nervous systems. And yet there behavior is eloquently expressive,” she continues, “in their simple brainless behaviors, we can see ‘joy and sadness, of approach and avoidance, of vulnerability and safety’”(112-3). Imagine, if the brainless nerveless plankton is just as capable of emotion, what does that say about human understanding of the natural world? In recent memory, scientist had defined human as the only species capable of conscious emotion. Despite this, the plankton, among many other animals, have been defying human