which life-form is the base of the food chain in the waters around antarctica
Antarctic Ecosystem: Abundance of Life Diatoms like these are at the base of the Antarctic food chain. In summer they use photosynthesis to grow, and multiply into huge populations. Young (juvenile) krill that were collected in a net. A curious Emperor penguin approaches a technician.
Some scientists have estimated that the krill in the ocean around Antarctica weigh more than the entire worldâs human population. The krill, rich in protein and fat, are food for large numbers of animals at the top of the food chain, including penguins, seals, and whales. Scientists studying the Antarctic marine ecosystem now know that its high productivity is confined to the edge of the sea ice and a few other areas, rather than everywhere in the Southern Ocean.