What is the food web in the Arctic?
What is the food web in the Arctic?
In the Arctic, there are several food chains that criss-cross to make a food web, starting with the sun, then producers like phytoplankton in the sea and grasses and lichens on land. Some of the consumers in the food webs are krill, fish, birds, reindeer, and seals.
How climate changes affect the food web in Arctic Pole?
Confirming earlier research, scientists reported Wednesday that global warming is altering the ecology of the Arctic Ocean on a huge scale. The annual production of algae, the base of the food web, increased an estimated 47 percent between 1997 and 2015, and the ocean is greening up much earlier each year.
What organisms are at the base of the food web in the Arctic?
Phytoplankton forms the base of the Arctic ocean’s food web, and jellies and shrimp are the primary consumers, thus making them a fundamental part of the marine ecosystem. Moving further, Fish, Gulls, Puffins, baleen whales, blue whales, and bowhead whales constitute the secondary consumers of Arctic marine ecosystems.
How sea ice affects a food web?
“Loss of sea ice and sea ice algae will change the timing and the amount of production that goes into high-quality food. Everything might happen earlier. There might be a longer plankton season with more abundant plankton and some studies have suggested this may benefit the ecosystem,” said Kimmel.
Who is at the top of the food chain in the Arctic?
polar bears
The Arctic apex predator that is the polar bear As apex predators, polar bears are at the top the Arctic food chain. Only humans pose a threat to this massive and majestic species. But all it takes is one look to understand why so many people book Arctic trips in the hope of spotting a polar bear in the wild.
What forms the basis of the Arctic and Antarctic food webs?
Phytoplankton: Phyto- plant, Plankton – see above. These are the tiny plants that capture the energy of the sun and turn it into food, they are the Producers of the Antarctic food web.
Why is the month of March so incredibly important to the food chain of the Arctic?
When the sea ice begins to melt every Spring this is the signal for life to explode into action. As the ice melts away the sunlight hits the water giving energy to microscopic algae to grow. This algae becomes food for the tiny armies of zooplankton which become food for fish, birds and whales.
How does climate change affect the Antarctic food web?
Our research published today suggests climate change will cause the ocean habitat supporting krill growth to move south. The habitat will also deteriorate in summer and autumn. The ramifications will reverberate up the food chain, with implications for other Antarctic animals.
What is the food chain of a polar bear?
Polar bears are the keystone species, tertiary consumers that help keep the food web in balance. And tertiary consumers, top of the food chain, in the Arctic ecosystem. They mainly eat seals, but sometimes whales and baby walruses. Since polar bears are a keystone species, they keep the ecosystem in balance.
How do food chains change as sea ice melts?
Who is the king of the food chain?
An apex predator, also known as a top predator, is a predator at the top of a food chain, without natural predators.
What animal is the king of the Arctic?
polar bear
Undoubtedly the King of the Arctic, the mighty polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a large mammal, growing up to 2.7m long and 720kg in weight.