Polar Ecosystems

This article briefly reviews the simple structure of polar marine food webs in the context of limited environmental temperature variability, but extreme seasonality of light, ice, and primary productivity. It then addresses the roles of pelagic (mid-water) and benthic systems as well as the roles of higher predators. The later sections deal with the effect that man is having on polar food webs and ecosystems either directly through activities such as fishing, or indirectly through climate change.

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