Antarctic food web under pressure.

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Since the 1970s, numbers of the shrimp-like creatures have fallen by 80% in waters near the Antarctic Peninsula, UK scientists tell Nature magazine. The crustacean feeds on algae under the ice so the fall may be linked to recent warming that has reduced sea-ice cover. The change could have a big impact on the whole Southern Ocean food web. "Krill are a central species [to this] web; they are a major food item for species such as penguins, seals, albatrosses and whales," Dr Angus Atkinson, from British Antarctic Survey, told BBC News.