structural:summarization, structural:scholar_edition
Ecology

The ecosystems of the High Arctic are considered to be young and underdeveloped, having only emerged since the glacial retreat of 8,000 to 6,000 BCE. There is a lack of species diversity, with a small number of animal species and short food chains.

These species have adapted to take advantage of the productive summer while surviving through winter scarcity. Zooplankton, for example, grow to a larger body size and produce larger eggs in greater numbers than in other regions.

Aside from the polar desert conditions of much of the island, there are remarkably productive ecological zones in the arctic oasis of the Lake Hazen area and the polynyas of the island's coastal waters.