'Ruthless predator' plankton may hold clues to SoCal's glowing red tides: USCD study

May 2, 2026 - 13:00
'Ruthless predator' plankton may hold clues to SoCal's glowing red tides: USCD study
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Scientists at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography have identified a microscopic "ruthless predator" that could reshape how researchers understand Southern California's glowing red tides. In a study published last month in the Journal of Phycology, researchers examined Polykrikos kofoidii, a little-known species of plankton that hunts and consumes [...]