Polar Marine Biology
This chapter explores polar marine biology. Polar ecosystems are influenced by strong seasonality, especially of ice cover. Also, a diverse phytoplankton assemblage fuels the polar food webs. Carnivores exert top-down effects, so overfishing of carnivores has had strong effects on polar food webs. T...
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| Format: | Book Part |
| Language: | unknown |
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Oxford University Press
2021
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| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/hesc/9780197543504.003.0026 |
| Summary: | This chapter explores polar marine biology. Polar ecosystems are influenced by strong seasonality, especially of ice cover. Also, a diverse phytoplankton assemblage fuels the polar food webs. Carnivores exert top-down effects, so overfishing of carnivores has had strong effects on polar food webs. The chapter considers the impact of climate change and ocean warming on the organization of polar ecosystems. It examines the food webs and the impact of climate change within Arctic marine systems and Antarctic marine systems. Global climate change is decreasing summer ice cover in the Arctic, so major changes are occurring in sea temperature and the organization of benthic communities. |
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