Sea ice as a habitat for macrograzers

All rights reserved. The sea ice brine channel system and the under-ice habitat in the Arctic and Antarctic support abundant and phylogenetically diverse biota, from microbes to mammals. Members of the lower trophic levels show specialized life cycles and other adaptations to their unique habitat, and serve as links between primary producers in the ice and higher trophic levels in the pelagic and benthic realms. The best-studied sympagic macrograzers include amphipods and the fish Boreogadus saida in the Arctic, and krill, Euphausia superba, in the Antarctic, because they play central roles in the food web and have potential or realized commercial value. Most sea ice biota are not monitored regularly - with the notable exceptions of the above named - so changes in their stock size or other properties may remain undetected. Changes in harvest rates and observed and projected climatic changes will affect ice-related food webs in the future.