Arctic food web

The network of feeding relationships among organisms in Arctic ecosystems, shaped by seasonal light, sea ice, and extreme cold.

Arctic primary production: The creation of organic matter by photosynthetic organisms in Arctic terrestrial and aquatic environments. It supplies the energy that supports Arctic food webs, with strong seasonal pulses.
Sea ice: Frozen seawater that forms a shifting cover over polar oceans. Its underside supports algae and offers habitat used by prey and predators.
Arctic amplification: The tendency for the Arctic to warm faster than the global average. Rapid warming alters habitats and the timing of production and consumer activity.
Ringed seal: A small Arctic seal that breeds in snow lairs on sea ice and eats fish and invertebrates. It is a principal prey item connecting marine production to polar bears.
Arctic phytoplankton: Microscopic photosynthetic organisms that drift in Arctic waters and form the base of marine food chains. Their spring blooms feed zooplankton and initiate much of the marine energy flow.
Ice algae: Photosynthetic algae that grow within or beneath sea ice. They can start the spring marine food pulse before open-water phytoplankton blooms.
Sea ice decline: The long-term reduction in the extent, thickness, or duration of Arctic sea ice. Loss of ice changes habitat for algae, seals, and predators that hunt from ice.
Bearded seal: A large Arctic seal that feeds mainly on bottom-dwelling invertebrates and some fish. Its diet demonstrates the pathway from seafloor communities to marine predators.
Arctic zooplankton: Small drifting animals in Arctic waters, including copepods and krill, that consume algae and feed larger animals. They transfer energy from phytoplankton to fish, seabirds, and whales.
Benthic ecosystem: The community of organisms living on or in the bottom of a body of water. Sinking organic matter links surface production to Arctic seafloor communities.

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