What is the niche of krill?

Antarctic krill are filter feeders that eat tiny phytoplankton (pelagic algae). They use their small, hair-like legs to filter out these microscopic algae that bloom in the nutrient-rich waters around Antarctica. These blooms are densest at the ice edge, so Antarctic krill are often also densest near that system.

1. What role do krill play in the ecosystem?
2. What consumer is a krill?
3. What does krill do in the ocean?
4. Why are krill so important to the food chain?
5. How do krill adapt to their environment?
6. What would happen if krill went extinct?
7. What type of consumer is zooplankton?
8. Is zooplankton a producer?
9. How do krill move?
10. Is krill a bioluminescent?
11. How do krill breathe?
12. How effective is krill oil?
13. What do krill need to survive?
14. Why are krill keystone species?

What role do krill play in the ecosystem?

Why are krill so important? Krill are extremely important because they are the main diet for most of the marine predators (penguins, seals, whales, fish) in the Southern Ocean. ... Because of this role they are called the 'keystone species' in the Southern Ocean ecosystem.

What consumer is a krill?

In the Antarctic food chain krill are primary consumers and baleen whales, penguins, seals and many kinds of fish and other birds are secondary consumers when feeding on krill.

What does krill do in the ocean?

Role in the Food Chain

Krill feed on phytoplankton, microscopic, single-celled plants that drift near the ocean's surface and live off carbon dioxide and the sun's rays. They in turn are the main staple in the diets of literally hundreds of different animals, from fish, to birds, to baleen whales.

Why are krill so important to the food chain?

Krill are so important due to the place they occupy in the global food chain. ... As they feed on phytoplankton, they also play an important role in converting these primary producers into a food source for those higher up on the food chain that can't eat such small organisms.

How do krill adapt to their environment?

Krill have the ability to shrink their bodies and undergo long periods of starvation. These adaptations allow them to survive the winter months in the Antarctic. Krill travel in swarms so dense they can actually be seen from space. ... And that's life with the ice for Antarctic krill.

What would happen if krill went extinct?

If the krill were to disappear, all of the creatures which feed upon them would also disappear. In general, most animals bigger than krill will eat it, from whales, seals, penguins, other seabirds and fish.

What type of consumer is zooplankton?

The zooplankton community is an important element of the aquatic food chain. These organisms serve as an intermediary species in the food chain, transferring energy from planktonic algae (primary producers) to the larger invertebrate predators and fish who in turn feed on them.

Is zooplankton a producer?

Phytoplankton are the tiny, plant-like producers of the plankton community. ... Zooplankton are the animal-like primary consumers of plankton communities. In turn, zooplankton then become food for larger, secondary consumers such as fish.

How do krill move?

Krill travel in swarms primarily as a defense mechanism to confuse predators that would pick out single krill. In additional efforts to avoid predators, krill are found to spend their day at greater depths in the ocean and rise during the night toward the surface.

Is krill a bioluminescent?

Krill are often referred to as light-shrimp because they emit light through bioluminescent organs. These organs are located on various parts of the individual krill's body: one pair of organs at the eyestalk (cf.

How do krill breathe?

4) Krill migrate vertically traveling towards the surface of the water during the night (to look for food) and back down into the ocean during the day (to avoid predators). 5) Krill are equipped with gills that allow them to extract oxygen from the water.

How effective is krill oil?

A recent review of seven studies concluded that krill oil is effective at lowering “bad” LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and may increase “good” HDL cholesterol, too ( 17 ).

What do krill need to survive?

Krill need both sea ice and cold water to survive. Rising temperatures reduce the growth and abundance of plankton on which krill feed, while loss of sea ice removes habitat that shelters both krill and the organisms they eat. So when Antarctic sea ice declines, so do krill.

Why are krill keystone species?

Few species as large as the Antarctic krill can eat food that small, so this krill provides an important link to higher levels in the food web. ... Without this species, Southern Ocean food webs would completely collapse. The Antarctic krill is the keystone species throughout its range.