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| Food Web |
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.
Phytoplankton;
*see Abiotic vs Biotic*
Sponges;
Sponges are some of the world's simplest multi-cellular organisms. The sponge's scientific classification is "Porifera", which means pore-bearing, and refers to the countless tiny openings or holes visible on all sponges. Sponges grow in all different shapes, sizes, colors and textures. Some of the Arctic Ocean's sponge species include; Choanites Luetkeni, Phakellia Cribrosa and Reniera Rufescens.
Echinoderms;
Adult Echinoderms are usually recognised by their (usually five point) radical symmetry. They are found at the ocean depth. What makes them so important to an ecosystem is that they reproduce asexually, meaning they can reproduce from only a single limb. Species found in the Arctic Ocean include; Sea Stars, Brittle Stars, Sea Cucumber, Basket Stars, Sea Lilies and Sand Dollars.
Ice Algae;
Ice Algae is one of the most important producers in the Arctic Ocean. Ice Algae grows underneath the ice surface. Although phytolankton produces faster than ice algae, blooms of sea-ice algae differ considerably from the phytoplankton in terms of distribution. Thus sea-ice algae provide food resources for higher trophic level organizations that nisms in seasons and regions where water column biologial production is low or negligible.
Arctic Seaweed;
Arctic Seaweed is also a primary producer in the Arctic Ocean. It is located on the ocean floor.
Krill are small crustaceans of the order Euphausiacea, and are found in all the world's oceans. The name krill comes from the Norwegian word krill, meaning "small fry of fish",[1] which is also often attributed to species of fish. Krill feeds on phytoplankton, so they are considered near the bottom of the food web, at the second trophic level.
Clam;
Clams belong to the class bivalve, meaning "a shell with two hinged parts." The Arctic Ocean is home to 140 species of bivalves, which vary in their appearance, habitats, feeding mannerisms and defences against predators. Arctic Ocean clams live on continental shelves and in deeper waters. Some clams, such as Macoma moesta, are sublittoral. This means that they live just below the shoreline. Other clams such as Ennucula tenuis live deeper in the bathyal zone, which is upward of 3,280 feet deep. Clams live and feed on different substrates depending on the depth at which they live. Such substrates include algae, silt, sand and gravel.
Producers
Phytoplankton;
*see Abiotic vs Biotic*
Sponges;
Sponges are some of the world's simplest multi-cellular organisms. The sponge's scientific classification is "Porifera", which means pore-bearing, and refers to the countless tiny openings or holes visible on all sponges. Sponges grow in all different shapes, sizes, colors and textures. Some of the Arctic Ocean's sponge species include; Choanites Luetkeni, Phakellia Cribrosa and Reniera Rufescens.
Echinoderms;
Adult Echinoderms are usually recognised by their (usually five point) radical symmetry. They are found at the ocean depth. What makes them so important to an ecosystem is that they reproduce asexually, meaning they can reproduce from only a single limb. Species found in the Arctic Ocean include; Sea Stars, Brittle Stars, Sea Cucumber, Basket Stars, Sea Lilies and Sand Dollars.
Ice Algae;
Ice Algae is one of the most important producers in the Arctic Ocean. Ice Algae grows underneath the ice surface. Although phytolankton produces faster than ice algae, blooms of sea-ice algae differ considerably from the phytoplankton in terms of distribution. Thus sea-ice algae provide food resources for higher trophic level organizations that nisms in seasons and regions where water column biologial production is low or negligible.
Arctic Seaweed;
Arctic Seaweed is also a primary producer in the Arctic Ocean. It is located on the ocean floor.
Herbivores
Krill;Krill are small crustaceans of the order Euphausiacea, and are found in all the world's oceans. The name krill comes from the Norwegian word krill, meaning "small fry of fish",[1] which is also often attributed to species of fish. Krill feeds on phytoplankton, so they are considered near the bottom of the food web, at the second trophic level.
Clam;
Clams belong to the class bivalve, meaning "a shell with two hinged parts." The Arctic Ocean is home to 140 species of bivalves, which vary in their appearance, habitats, feeding mannerisms and defences against predators. Arctic Ocean clams live on continental shelves and in deeper waters. Some clams, such as Macoma moesta, are sublittoral. This means that they live just below the shoreline. Other clams such as Ennucula tenuis live deeper in the bathyal zone, which is upward of 3,280 feet deep. Clams live and feed on different substrates depending on the depth at which they live. Such substrates include algae, silt, sand and gravel.
Arctic Cod;
The Arctic Cod has an unusually short lifespan living only 6-7 years. It feeds on mostly phytoplankton, but is the primary food of many other marine animals. They are small fish, averaging at about 25 cm in length. They only spawn once in their lifetime, with about 11 900 eggs per female.
The Arctic Cod has an unusually short lifespan living only 6-7 years. It feeds on mostly phytoplankton, but is the primary food of many other marine animals. They are small fish, averaging at about 25 cm in length. They only spawn once in their lifetime, with about 11 900 eggs per female.
Carnivores
Bowhead Whale;
The head of the bowhead whale comprises a third of its body length, creating an enormous feeding apparatus. The diet consists of mostly zooplankton which includes copepods, amphipods, and many other crustaceans. Approximately 2 tons of food is consumed each day. While foraging, bowheads are solitary or occur in groups of two to ten or more.
Polar Bear;
Although it is the sister species of the brown bear, the Polar Bear has evolved to occupy a narrower ecological niche, with many body characteristics adapted for cold temperatures, for moving across snow, ice, and open water, and for hunting seals, which make up most of its diet. Polar Bears will also eat an entire walrus. Sometimes, they will eat seabirds and their eggs.
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