Planktonic protists: plants and grazers

Planktonic protists: plants and grazers. The two yellowish protists are diatoms (plants) while the brown life forms are tintinnids (grazers). Examples of morphological diversity of protists. Sample from a plankton net tow in the Bay of Villefranche on the January 25 2011. The two diatoms (plants) and the three tintinnid ciliates, which feed on small plants, have very different shapes.