Climate change is having a great impact on the Arctic food web on land and on the ice. The animals most at risk from a warming planet are those that permanently live in the Arctic and depend on sea ice for their survival. Consider the top level predator, the polar bear. How does climate change impact the stability this ecosystem, in terms of the survival of the polar bear? All BUT ONE could apply.
A) As the sea ice melts, the polar bear is losing its natural habitat.
B) As the ice melts the sunlight hits the water giving energy to microscopic algae to grow.
C) Declining health of female polar bears contributes to the decline in the survival of polar bear offspring.
D) Early ice melt and rain instead of snow contributes to the decline of seal pups, an important food source for the polar bear.