Arctic food chain and food web diagram
Printable arctic food web diagram · 1 page
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The Arctic has two connected food webs, and this page shows both. In the Arctic Ocean, phytoplankton feed zooplankton, which feed Arctic cod, which feed ringed seals and beluga whales, which feed polar bears. On the tundra, lichen, sedges, grasses and Arctic willow feed caribou, lemmings and Arctic hares, which feed Arctic foxes, snowy owls and Arctic wolves. Every arrow points from a food to its eater.
Build Arctic chains yourself in the food chain game, which checks each arrow and shows the energy pyramid for your chain, or print the food web worksheet set to the Arctic.
Tips for using it
- Follow the ocean chain from phytoplankton to the polar bear and count the levels.
- Ask what a polar bear's food chain has to do with sea ice. Polar bears hunt seals from the ice.
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Questions
What is an example of an Arctic food chain?
Phytoplankton → zooplankton → Arctic cod → ringed seal → polar bear. It is a five-level chain, longer than most because the ocean's producers are so tiny.
Why are lemmings important in the Arctic?
Lemmings are a main food for Arctic foxes and snowy owls. When lemming numbers rise and fall, the numbers of their predators often follow.