Much of a plankton sample consists of variable amounts of debris, sediment and dead material. After a period of strong wind stirring up the Haven these will increase. While solid particles like mineral grains allow tiny organisms to attach, e.g. the diatom Delphineis and stalked ciliates, much of this Dead Organic Matter (DOM) is essential for the ecosystem and the microbial loop. Bacteria and fungi are at the base of this loop. Free-living bacteria can be quite visible as tiny dark dots moving slowly in the background even under x400 magnification. With the particulate DOM they form dense aggregates of material. The bacteria, in turn are consumed by nanoflagellates. Rising up the food web these (and bacteria) are consumed by species covered in these samples, namely, the protists like the ciliates, especially tintinnids. The ciliates are at the top of the microbial loop. In water systems a considerable amount of dissolved organic mater exists and feeds into this loop. This is "leakages" from diatoms and other organisms.