Living organisms living in the Arctic have a hard time. A very cold climate, eternal ice, snow and polar night for 5-6 months of the year are the main signs of the harsh environment in the polar and subarctic zone. The organic world of the Arctic Ocean was formed in these difficult conditions. In many ways, the ecosystem of high latitudes differs from the temperate and tropical regions of the World Ocean (IO). We single out and briefly characterize these features.
Harsh Arctic environment
Snow and frost dominate the Arctic Circle, the organic world is adapting to these features of nature. A significant part of the Arctic region of our planet is occupied by cold water expanses, chained in ice. In different countries, the following toponyms are in use: the Arctic, Arctic or Arctic Ocean. Summer in high latitudes is short and cool, winter is harsh and long. Precipitation falls in the form of snow, their total amount is small - only about 200 ml.
The organic world of the Arctic Ocean is living creatures that inhabit the bottom, coast and numerous islands of the Arctic seas. Many animals and some small plants have adapted to low temperatures in snow and ice. What do these hardy inhabitants of such a harsh land look like? Birds and mammals animals living in high latitudes, usually white.
Organic World of the Arctic Ocean (briefly)
The whole diversity of life at the bottom is represented by benthos. These are algae, mollusks, intestinal, attached to the substrate of the shelf and continental slope, crawling crustaceans. Of the algae kelp and fucus prevail. Zoster flowering plant is found in the White Sea. Benthic animals are mainly invertebrates (worms, sponges, sea anemones and stars, bivalves, crabs). They can withstand the harsh conditions of the cold and dark sea depths.
Of the nearly 200 species of phytoplankton, most are diatoms.
The sparse flora on the seashores and numerous archipelagoes is represented by gymnosperms, flowering and lichens. Food chains include zooplankton, marine invertebrates, fish, birds, and mammals. The last two groups inhabit mainly the coast and islands; food for themselves is more often found in ice-free water. The world of birds of the Arctic is characterized by a wealth of species, and the noisy “bird markets” diversify the organic world of the Arctic Ocean.
Arctic animals list
Invertebrates: jellyfish, cyanae, Giogoni head ofiura, mussels, crustaceans.
Among the fish, the Greenland polar shark stands out in large sizes. Other representatives of the ichthyofauna: salmon, herring, cod, perch, flatfish (including halibut). Birds: partridge, guillemot, polar owl, tern, bald eagle.
Mammals:
- toothed whales (beluga whale, killer whale, narwhal);
- seals (harp, striped, ringed seal, crested);
- walruses
- polar or polar bear;
- reindeer (caribou),
- arctic wolf;
- musk ox;
- Arctic hare;
- lemming.
Adaptations of plants and animals of the Arctic
The organic world of the Arctic Ocean is almost inferior to the northern regions of the Atlantic and the Pacific basin in the diversity of phytoplankton. Interestingly, some microscopic algae retain the ability to photosynthesis even on ice floes. As a result, the white surface is covered with a greenish-brown film, and the ice melts faster. Moderately cold waters are rich in dissolved oxygen and nitrogen, while lowering the heavy upper layer, the trace elements necessary for phytoplankton rise from a depth. These features create favorable conditions for the rapid development of microscopic organisms.
A kind of emblem, a symbol by which the organic world of the Arctic Ocean is recognized, is a polar bear. This is one of the largest land predators; the body of an adult male reaches a length of 2-3 meters. It feeds mainly on seals, fish. The polar bear and other animals of the Arctic have the ability to lower metabolism at low temperatures. They grow slower, but can reach enormous size and advanced age. So, a tropical sea urchin rarely lives 10 years, a polar species can exist for more than 60 years.
Climatic conditions are slightly milder in the seas of the European part of the Arctic; therefore, flora and fauna are richer here. The most populated is the shallow continental shelf. But in general, the plant and organic world is poor in species. Among the main reasons are the harsh climate, lack of sunlight and heat for plants, lack of food for animals.
