This polar bear is an apex predator, but there’s a whole lot that happens before you make it to this part of the arctic food web. OlhaPonomar / Shutterstock
The arctic food web explains how energy moves through one of the coldest ecosystems on Earth. From microscopic algae trapped in sea ice to apex predators like polar bears, every organism depends on another for food.
This interconnected system shows why changes in ice, ocean temperature, and climate matter so much in the polar regions.
Unlike a simple food chain, a food web shows how Arctic animals rely on multiple food sources. In the Arctic Circle, survival depends on timing, sunlight and the delicate balance of the whole ecosystem.
