These nearly invisible organisms help clean Lake Tahoe’s water. Here’s how they do it

Plankton are not just a diabolical mastermind on a Nickelodeon show about a sponge who lives under the sea. Lake Tahoe is filled with them — the good kind. Tahoe native zooplankton are making a comeback in the more than 21-mile long lake, helping it look the clearest it has in 40 years. A comeback because until now, the microorganism’s population significantly decreased after it’s primary predator, the Mysis shrimp, was on the rise, according to previous Sacramento Bee reporting. Here’s how zooplankton help make Lake Tahoe sparkle, and why they are important to the ecosystem: —What are zooplan...