Plankton and Courage

After discussing oxygen, we turn to the plankton that forms the basis of the marine food web. There are many different forms of plankton with large genetic variation, giving plankton great resistance to environmental changes. Plankton provides extraordinary ecosystem services by taking up carbon dioxide, releasing oxygen, and serving as the basis of higher trophic levels. This chapter connects to the ocean through the epic poem The Kalevala, inspiring us to review our knowledge sources and reminding us that humans were born in the ocean. We learn that plankton is the basis of life in the ocean and that storytelling and dreaming constitute the basis of mental health.