wunder beta

🐛 Polar Food Chains

Follow the food chains of the Arctic and Antarctic, from tiny phytoplankton and krill all the way to whales and polar bears.

lessons

~15 min

to learn

🔬 Science

subject

Ages 6–12

level

Start the course →

What you’ll learn

Where Food BeginsUnderstand that food chains carry energy from the Sun and begin with producers.A food chain passes energy from one living thing to the next, and almost every one begins with the Sun. In the polar oceans the producers are tiny phytoplankton and ice algae, which make their own food from sunlight. These producers are the first link that feeds everything else.
The Antarctic Food ChainTrace the Antarctic food chain from phytoplankton to krill to penguins, seals, and whales.In the Antarctic, krill eat the phytoplankton, and krill in turn feed penguins, seals, and whales. Because so many animals depend on krill, they are the most important link in the Antarctic food web. Energy flows from the Sun, to phytoplankton, to krill, and on up to the top predators.
The Arctic Food ChainTrace the Arctic food chain and sort animals as producers, prey, or top predators.The Arctic food chain begins with ice algae, which feed the Arctic cod. The cod feed ringed seals, and the seals feed the polar bear, the Arctic's top predator. Each living thing has a role, as a producer, prey, or predator, and together they form the Arctic food web.

Questions this course answers

What is a producer in a food chain?

A producer, like phytoplankton, makes its own food from sunlight and starts the chain.

Why are krill so important in the Antarctic?

So many animals depend on krill that they hold the whole Antarctic food web together.

In the Antarctic food chain, what do the krill eat?

Krill feed on the tiny phytoplankton, which make their food from sunlight.

Which animal is the top predator of the Arctic?

The polar bear is the top Arctic predator, and nothing hunts it.

What comes right before the ringed seal in the Arctic food chain?

The chain runs from ice algae to Arctic cod to ringed seal to polar bear, so cod come just before the seal.

Where does the energy in a polar food chain first come from?

Almost every food chain starts with energy from the Sun, captured by producers.

Grounded in trusted sources

NOAA
British Antarctic Survey
National Geographic Kids

Every Wunder lesson is built from real, reputable sources — never invented.

Related Science courses

🧊Comparing Polar Ecosystems 🌍Climate Change at the Poles 🌼Pollination and Seed Dispersal 🐝Pollination and Why It Matters ⚡Power and Watts 🛝Predicting How Things Move 🌱Predicting Inherited Traits ⚙️Pressure, Moments, and Hooke's Law

Wunder is a personalized learn-anything platform — tell it any topic and it builds a beautiful, fact-checked course in minutes, with narration, a knowledge check, and a college-style University track.

Browse more Science courses · All topics · Home