Humans like the Kalaallit who live and hunt on sea ice have a lot in common with polar bears. They’re both at the top of the food chain, surviving on large sea mammals they catch—and they’re both threatened by changing conditions on the sea ice.
In this student page, you’ll look at the similarities and differences between polar bears and humans. Then you’ll explore the sea ice as a habitat.
Part I. Bears and Humans In the BrainPOP movie you viewed in class, several components of an ecosystem were discussed:
- An ecosystem is a distinct area that is often defined by the amount of sunlight and water it receives, its soil types, and similar large and slow-to-change factors.
- A community is a collection of different organisms—plants and animals that coexist together in an ecosystem.
- A population refers to just one organism within the larger community.
- Finally, a habitat is the particular place or places where an organism lives—for example, a frog’s habitat might be a pond.
Using these definitions, fill in the “Ecosystem Pyramids” on the next page. Label one “Kalaallit.” Use this one to define these terms as they apply to humans who live and hunt on the sea ice. Label the other “Polar Bear,” and again use the definitions above to fill in the picture on the polar bear.