SMALL BUT IMPORTANT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 1, 7 September 1942, Page 2

SMALL BUT IMPORTANT

The importance of microscopical animals and- plants to the welfare of man Is siressc :I in an article in 'Forest and Bird." A striking illus-

tration. <;i" what is meant is to be found in the biotic chain which ends in th? production of Peruvian guano. Vast numbers' of cormorants (shag's) and other birds feed upon tiie almost unbelievable quantifies of fish present along the coast of Peru and nest on islands off the coast thus producing the guano. But Hie fish require food, so the larger varieties feed upon the lessor and Ihe lesser on tlie lesser still and so until we find masses of minute lis li feeding upon the microscopical diatoms which in their tn-m feed upon decayed matter brought near the surface by the 100-mile wide cold Humbolt current. It will be obvious thai if the deeayed. matter failed for some reason the diatoms would starve and then the whole vast biotic structure would fall and the thousands upon thousands of shag's now present would starve leaving perhaps a remnant which Avould be looked upon as rare birds.