Editing Ellesmere Island (section)

===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&nbsp;BCE. There is a lack of species diversity, with a small number of animal species and short food chains.{{r|"Dick"|p=30}}
[[File:OTC at Alexandra Fiord, Ellesmere Island.jpg|thumb|[[International Tundra Experiment]] on Ellesmere Island]]
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.{{r|"Dick"|p=42–43}}

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.{{r|"Dick"|p=33}}

====Insect ecology====
Ellesmere Island is noted as being the northernmost occurrence of [[Eusociality|eusocial]] insects; specifically, the [[bumblebee]] ''[[Bombus polaris]]''. There is a second species of bumblebee occurring there, ''[[Bombus hyperboreus]]'', which is a parasite in the nests of ''B. polaris''.<ref name="Milliron1966"/>

While non-eusocial, the Arctic woolly bear moth (''[[Gynaephora groenlandica]]'') can also be found at Ellesmere Island. While this species generally has a 10-year life cycle, its life is known to extend to up to 14 years at both the [[Alexandra Fiord]] lowland and Ellesmere Island.<ref name="Kukal1988"/><ref name="Barrio2013"/>