India, March 9 -- New research into the Arctic Ocean's ecosystem has highlighted the crucial role of tiny microalgae, seaweeds and seagrasses, known as benthic primary producers, in sustaining life in Arctic waters.

But the study has also revealed the loss of sea ice is having complex effects on marine ecosystems and ocean productivity in the Earth's northernmost bodies of water.

Dr Karen Filbee-Dexter, a senior lecturer at The University of Western Australia's School of Biological Sciences, was co-author of the paper Seafloor primary production in a changing Arctic Ocean published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

She said while phytoplankton and sea ice algae had long been seen as the main players in Arctic ma...