What is the food chain for Antarctica?

What is the food chain for Antarctica?

Antarctica supports a wide range of organisms from algae to large animals. All these organisms are interconnected within a food web and rely on each other for survival. A wide range of plants and animals live in Antarctica….Decomposers.

food chain
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energy

What do the animals in Antarctica eat?

krill
All animals depend on krill for their survival. Krill eat phytoplankton (tiny ocean plants) and zooplankton (tiny ocean creatures), squid eat krill, penguins eat krill and squid, fish eat krill and other fish, seals eat krill, fish and squid, Leopard seals eat krill, squid, fish and penguins.

What are the producers in the Antarctic?

Producers in the Antarctic Ocean ecosystem are:

  • sea ice algae – which live on the underside of the sea ice but may fall to the sea floor.
  • phytoplankton – which may be carried under the sea ice by currents from open water regions.
  • macroalgae – leafy seaweeds and algae that are attached to rocks and corals on the sea floor.

What do Antarctic herbivores eat?

The major proportion passes through the food web at the hub of which is the Antarctic krill (a key herbivore) and a variety of zooplankton.

What do Antarctic birds eat?

Diet: Like most animals that call the White Continent their home, the birds’ diet is based in the ocean itself. Krill and other invertebrates are the cornerstone of their diet, which also typically includes fish and squid. Some of the larger birds even eat carrion, eggs, and chicks.

What are the consumers in the Arctic?

The primary consumers in the Arctic Ocean are phytoplankton and crustaceans that consume the zooplankton. Harp seals are secondary consumers, which mainly eat fish like Arctic cod and Arctic char, and some crustaceans. The top predators, or tertiary consumers, are polar bears and the Orca whale.

What is the Antarctic ecosystem?

Antarctica is a polar desert. Terrestrial life is limited to the very small. There are no trees or shrubs, so vegetation is mainly mosses, lichens and algae.

What do Antarctic squid eat?

fish
Diet and feeding Squid mainly eat fish and crustaceans. They are also known to be cannibalistic and may feed on each other, especially when caught in nets. It is thought that squids can routinely eat 30% or more of their body weight in a day.

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