ABSTRACT
This chapter provides some insight into the structure and the role of the ice community in the Arctic and subarctic ecosystems. More marine species move onshore and include the amphipods Onisimus glacialis and Boeckosimus affinis. A diverse group of animals ranging in size from protozoans' to marine mammals utilize polar sea ice. A habitat for marine animals, sea ice has been described as a floor, a sand-like substrate for ciliate protozoans, and as an upside-down benthic environment for sea floor invertebrates. The ice fauna, whether originating partly from the benthos in shallow water or from the plankton in deeper environments, appears to survive well in the absence of sea ice. The meiofauna and macrofauna of the true ice community include organisms from both the benthos and the plankton; descriptive terms for this biotic assemblage should be broadly inclusive. The different ice types and the dissimilar microhabitats must be considered when studying the ecology of the ice fauna.
