ONLINE ASSIGNMENT

SUBMITTED BY- RESHMA L R

NATURAL SCIENCE

NATURAL RESOURCES

POND ECOSYSTEM

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

POND ECOSYSTEM

ENERGY FLOW IN POND

LIFE IN A POND- UNDERWATER ECOSYSTEM

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

INTRODUCTION

Natural resources are materials and components (something that can be used) that can be found

within the environment. Every man-made product is composed of natural resources (at its

fundamental level). A natural resource may exist as a separate entity such as fresh water, and air,

as well as a living organism such as a fish, or it may exist in an alternate form which must be

processed to obtain the resource such as metal ores, oil, and most forms of energy. Ecosystem is

the basic functional unit with which ecology deals since it includes both the organisms and non

living environment ,each influencing the properties of the other and both necessary for the

maintenance of life on earth. A pond ecosystem refers to fresh water ecosystem where there are

communities of organism dependent on each other with the prevailing water environment for

their nutrients and survival.Usually ponds are shallow water bodies with a depth of 12-15 feet

in which the sun rays can penetrate to the bottom permitting the growth of plants there. There is

usually a diverse array of aquatic life, with a few examples including algae, snails, fish, beetles,

water bugs, frogs, turtles, otters and muskrats. Top predators may include large fish, herons, or

alligators. The different functional components of a Pond ecosystem are- Filtration System,

Rocks and Gravel, Recirculation system, fish, aquatic plants.

POND ECOSYSTEM

Pond Ecosystem consists of 2 types of components:

Abiotic Components- The abiotic substances of Pond ecosystem are formed as a result of

the mixture of some organic and inorganic materials.The basic components are

water,oxygen,carbon dioxide ,salts of calcium and nitrogen etc.Only a small amount of

these elements are present in soluble state in pond water,but a large amount is held in

reserve solid form in the bottom sediments as well as within the organisms.Various

organisms get their nourishment from these abiotic substances.The rate of release of

reserve nutrients ,the solar input and the cycle of temperature ,day length and other

climatic conditions regulate the function of the Pond ecosystem.

Biotic Components- The biotic components of Pond ecosystem consists of -

o Producers:-The produers are of two types-larger rooted and floating vegetations together

termed macrophytes and phytoplanktons-which are microscopic floating

algae.Phytoplanktons are available upto the depth of water where light penetrates.The

phytoplanktons are filamentous alga like Ulothrix, Oedogonium, Spirogyra, Anabena,

Oscillatoria and minute floating plants like Microcystis, Gloeotrichina, volvox etc.The

macrophytes include marginal emergent plants like Typha, Acerus, Ipomea, submerged

plants like Hydrilla, Utricularia, Trapa, Nymphrea etc ; surface floating plants like Pistea

,Lemna, Wolffia,Eichhornia,Salvinia etc.

o Consumers:-Consumers of Pond ecosystem are heterotrophs which depend for their

nutrition on other organisms.Zooplanktons form primary consumers ,include Brachionus

,Asplanchna ,Lechane , Colops, Dilepteus, Cyclops ,Stenocypris, who feed on

phytoplankton. Nectic animals like insects, beetles, fishes form secondary consumers as

they feed on zooplanktons.Benthic animals like snake, big fishes live on nectic animals

and are termed tertiary consumers.

o Decomposers:- Most of the decomposers of Pond ecosystem are saprophytes but some

parasites are also found Bacteria, fungi like Aspergillus, Cladosporium Rhizopus,

Alternaria, Fusarium, Saprolegnia etc are decomposers.Generally the decomposers either

live in the soil layer beneath water or in the mud.They act on dead and decayed organic

matter of plants and animals and supply raw materials to the producers.

Energy Flow in Pond Ecosystem

Phytoplanktons are the producers of pond ecosystem along with other floating plants.The energy

produced by the autotrophs are passed through "eat and being eaten chain".In pond the larvae of

insects consume autotrophs as food.According to law of energy flow the larvae assimilate

energy from autotrophs .So larvae are primary consumers.These primary consumers are taken as

food by prawn, small carnivorous fishes etc and so they collect energy from larvae.They are

called secondary consumers.Large fishes consume secondary consumers and are called tertiary

consumer. A pond's ecosystem food chain has three basic trophic levels.

First trophic level- represents the producer and autotrophs, such as phytoplankton and plants.

Producers prepare their own food with the energy emitted from the sun through a process known

as photosynthesis.

Second trophic level- consists of herbivores, such as insects, crustaceans, and invertebrates that

inhabit the pond and consume the plants.

Third trophic level- comprises of carnivores, such as various sizes of fish, which feed on both

the plants and herbivores.

Fourth trophic level- Saprotrophic organisms, also known as decomposers located on the

bottom of the food chain, help decompose dead organic matter, which further breaks down into

carbon dioxide and essential nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and magnesium. These

nutrients supply the necessary life force for the first trophic level organisms to produce food for

the second trophic organisms, which results in the perpetual flow of energy in the pond's

ecosystem.

There is usually a diverse array of aquatic life, with a few examples including algae, snails, fish,

beetles, water bugs, frogs, turtles, otters and muskrats. Top predators may include large fish,

herons, or alligators. Since fish are a major predator upon amphibian larvae, ponds that dry up

each year, thereby killing resident fish, provide important refugia for amphibian breeding. Ponds

that dry up completely each year are often known as vernal pools. Some ponds are produced by

animal activity, including alligator holes and beaver ponds, and these add important diversity to

landscapes.

DIFFERENT FUNCTIONAL COMPONENTS IN A POND ECOSYSTEM

Life In A Pond - Under Water Ecosystem

A pond, a large earth depression where water collects, often has a serene, shallow depth

composition to it. The ponds shallowness allows sunlight to penetrate to the bottom, which

allows plants to grow. Pond plants either grow entirely underwater or partially on the surface. A

minority of plants will also grow along the pond's edge. Ponds eventually turn into a large plot of

soil if left untreated by intervention. Ponds will support a large variety of animal and plant life,

such as birds, crayfish, small fish, frogs, insects, turtles, protozoa, algae, and lily pads. Ponds

usually regulate the same water temperature ranging from the water's surface to the bottom.

Ponds may freeze solid in colder climates. A pond ecosystem, a basic unit in ecology formed

from the cohabitation of plants, animals, microorganisms, and a surrounding environment, refers

to a community of freshwater organisms largely dependent on each of the surviving species to

maintain a life cycle. Ponds shallow water bodies barely reach 12 to 15 feet in-depth and allow

the sun to penetrate to its bottom, allowing freshwater plants to grow. A pond ecosystem consists

of algae, fungi, microorganisms, plants, and various fish, which may fall into three distinct

classifications: producer, consumer, and decomposer. The pond's natural cycle begins with the

producers and then to the consumers before ending with the decomposers.

CONCLUSION

A pond ecosystem consists of four habitats, including the shore, surface film, open water, and

bottom water. The shore, depending on its rocky, sandy, or muddy composition, lures in various

organisms. The pond's surface breeds excellent ground for water striders, marsh traders, free-

floating organisms, and organisms that can walk on the surface of water. An open-water habitat

permits sizable fish, plankton, phytoplankton, and zooplankton to grow. Phytoplankton includes

a large variety of algae, while zooplankton refers to insect larvae, rotifers, small crustaceans and

invertebrates. Fish feed on plankton, or tiny organisms. The bottom-water habitat varies

depending upon the pond's depth. Shallow ponds with sandy bottoms provide a nesting

environment for earthworms, snails, and insects. Deep-ended ponds have muddy bottoms, which

allow various microorganisms, such as flatworms, rat-tailed maggots, and dragonfly nymphs to

reproduce and survive.

An ecosystem pond works with Mother Nature to provide food, shelter, and safety to the wildlife

around it. It also provides you with an all-natural, low-maintenance piece of paradise. Ponds are

an important part of the biosphere.

REFERENCES

1- http://www.tutorvista.com/biology/pond-ecosystem

2- http://www.caryinstitute.org/sites/default/files/public/downloads/curriculum

project/1B3_pond_ecosystem_reading.pdf

3- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquatic_ecosystem

4- http://www.thewaterpage.com/pond-ecosystem.htm

5- http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/can-anyone-explain-me-pond-eco-

system-plz-urgent-355016

6- https://www.google.co.in/search?q=pond+ecosystem&client=ubuntu&hs=mc5

&channel=fs&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAWoVChMIr-

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HOZ8M%3A%3BNDttkTko-

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7- https://www.google.co.in/search?q=natural+resources&client=ubuntu&channel

=fs&biw=1369&bih=773&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0CAYQ_

AUoAWoVChMIp72w1cimyAIVxQeOCh2gagld#channel=fs&tbm=isch&q=pond

+natural+resources&imgdii=2rtHwnxgDejt8M%3A%3B2rtHwnxgDejt8M%3A%3

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