"Ice algae" refers to microscopic plants that live in icy environments, like the Arctic or Antarctic. They grow on or within ice and are an important source of food for other organisms in these cold regions. Full definition
Last year the researchers successfully confirmed the importance of ice algae as a food source for animal species primarily found in deeper waters. (sciencedaily.com)
These include Arctic cod and capelin, while krill and Calanus finmarchicus are replaced by Arctic amphipoda (another group of crustacean zooplankton), which live on ice algae which are also absent from Atlantic water. (sciencedaily.com)
In fact, the outcomes indicate that between 50 and 90 per cent of the young polar cod's carbon stems from ice algae. (sciencedaily.com)