Animalscaretips
Antarctic krill is a major prey species for a diverse array of Southern Ocean predators. The amount of krill that predators consume, and how this changes over space and time, is a key issue in understanding both regional and circumpolar aspects of the Southern Ocean food-web.
- What predators do krill have?
- What does a krill eat?
- Do krill eat meat?
- Are krill producers?
- What kind of animal is krill?
- Which animal does not eat krill?
- Are krill herbivores omnivores or carnivores?
- Why do humans not eat krill?
- What eats a penguin?
- What would happen if krill went extinct?
- What is the role of krill?
- Are krill and zooplankton primary consumers?
- Are zooplankton primary consumers?
What predators do krill have?
Blue whales and other large whales, leopard seals and other seals, several species of penguins, albatrosses and other seabirds, several fish species, and squids and other invertebrates all eat huge numbers of Antarctic krill.
What does a krill eat?
What they eat. Antarctic krill eat microscopic phytoplankton, single-celled plants that drift up near the ocean's surface. In their larval or juvenile stages of life krill feed on the green algae that grows on the underside of pack ice.
Do krill eat meat?
Krill are mostly herbivorous; however, they do consume zooplankton, which provide krill with protein.
Are krill producers?
Producer: An organism that produces food. ... 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 kind of animal is krill?
Krill are small crustaceans found throughout the ocean. They play an important role in the aquatic food chain, particularly in the Southern Ocean. Antarctic krill provide a vital food source for whales, seals, ice fish, and penguins.
Which animal does not eat krill?
(True seals do not have ears.) Over 60 percent of the world's seal population lives in Antarctica and, without krill, the seal population would be unable to survive.
Are krill herbivores omnivores or carnivores?
Krill are mostly omnivorous, although a few species are carnivorous, preying on small zooplankton and fish larvae. Krill are an important element of the aquatic food chain.
Why do humans not eat krill?
However, not eating them is understandable, too—krill are quite salty, and each crustacean's hard exoskeleton must be removed before being eaten because it contains contains fluorine, which is toxic in high enough concentrations.
What eats a penguin?
Their main predators are other marine animals, such as leopard seals and killer whales. Skuas and sheathbills also eat penguin eggs and chicks. Penguins are only found in the Southern Hemisphere.
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 is the role of krill?
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.
Are krill and zooplankton primary consumers?
Phytoplankton and algae form the bases of aquatic food webs. They are eaten by primary consumers like zooplankton, small fish, and crustaceans. Primary consumers are in turn eaten by fish, small sharks, corals, and baleen whales.
Are zooplankton primary consumers?
The zooplankton community is composed of both primary consumers, which eat free-floating algae, and secondary consumers, which feed on other zooplankton.
