^w^ Zooplankton provide food for the small fish, as well as the filter feeders like the Whale Shark and many of the giant whales.
^w^ If these small, plant-eating animals were no longer part of the food chain, the small fish and crustaceans would starve, soon to be followed by the large fish, and then the predators.
^w^ Phytoplankton would multiply uncontrollably, in some areas blocking the penetration of sunlight to lower depths. Reefs and shallow areas of the ocean would resemble the stagnant pools we sometimes see on land.
