Why Atlantic Fish are Invading the Arctic
Videos
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Biology
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by Vox
What it is
- This video from Vox describes the movement of Atlantic fish and plankton northward into Arctic regions as the climate warms.
- There are many ecological implications of this, including changing or disrupting the Arctic food webs and changing the population dynamics of Polar and Atlantic species.
- Humans are also increasingly accessing Arctic waters and impacting the food webs and ecology of this remote and rich ecosystem.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This resource effectively outlines the ecological implications of a changing climate.
- The video describes the concepts of competition, energy transfer, food web dynamics, and invasive species in a well-illustrated example.
Prerequisites
- Students should be familiar with the concepts of food webs and energy transfer between trophic levels.
- There may be an ad before the video.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Before showing the video, ask students to predict a typical food chain in an Arctic ecosystem. Ask them about characteristics of cold water animal species.
- Consider having students draw a graphic organizer to compare and contrast Atlantic and Arctic aquatic food chains.
- Discuss other regions where animal migrations due to climate change may have ecological impacts on native species.
From the scientist review
This resource presents (in detail) the human impact on the Arctic and also how Atlantification has caused species invasion and biodiversity loss in the Arctic ecosystem. This resource is suitable for comparative analysis within the Atlantic and Arctic ecosystems. This is recommended for teaching.
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