The Arctic ecosystem has a unique,
complex food web that is fashioned by its distinctive plankton, animal species,
and environmental factors. Carbon also cycles through the web from atmosphere
to seawater and back. Phytoplankton and algae take up carbon dioxide from
seawater and transform it into the organic carbon of their tissue. Then it
flows through successive levels of eating animals that convert their prey’s
carbon into their own tissues or into sinking fecal pellets. Along the way, some
carbon dioxide escapes back to the atmosphere through the organisms'
respiration.
The Antarctic Food Web is relatively simple compared to ecosystems in other parts of the world. There are fewer different species, but greater numbers of them. The second most numerous large mammal in the world (after man) is the crab-eater seal, an archetypal Antarctic animal. A key part of the Antarctic food web are krill small shrimp-like crustaceans that the great majority of Antarctic animals, seal, whales, penguins and other birds, fish etc. feed upon. All these organisms work together harmoniously and create a highly functioning eco-system which enables each organism to survive to the best of its ability.
In summary, it ought to be clear that glaciers and ice-sheets are not sterile landscapes but rather comprise several biodiverse habitats. Glacier ecosystems occur on the ice, in the ice and under the ice. We are starting to learn how these life forms interact with their icy homes and the consequences for both glaciers and climate.
The Antarctic Food Web is relatively simple compared to ecosystems in other parts of the world. There are fewer different species, but greater numbers of them. The second most numerous large mammal in the world (after man) is the crab-eater seal, an archetypal Antarctic animal. A key part of the Antarctic food web are krill small shrimp-like crustaceans that the great majority of Antarctic animals, seal, whales, penguins and other birds, fish etc. feed upon. All these organisms work together harmoniously and create a highly functioning eco-system which enables each organism to survive to the best of its ability.
In summary, it ought to be clear that glaciers and ice-sheets are not sterile landscapes but rather comprise several biodiverse habitats. Glacier ecosystems occur on the ice, in the ice and under the ice. We are starting to learn how these life forms interact with their icy homes and the consequences for both glaciers and climate.