nidhi tiwari (pond ecosystem) complete

8/18/2019 Nidhi Tiwari (Pond Ecosystem) Complete

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Chapter-1

INTRODUCTION

Pond Ecosystem

An ecosystem is a dynamic complex of plant, animal, and microorganism

communities and the nonliving environment, interacting as a functional unit.

Remember that the organisms living in an ecosystem are broken down into

categories: producers, consumers,and decomposers.

A pond is a quiet body of water that is too small for wave action and too shallow

for major temperature differences from top to bottom. t usually has a muddy or

silty bottom with aquatic plants around the edges and throughout. !owever, it is

often difficult to classify the differences between a pond and a lake, since the two

terms are artificial and the ecosystems really exist on a continuum. "enerally, in a

pond, the temperature changes with the air temperature and is relatively uniform.

#akes are similar to ponds, but because they are larger, temperature layering or

stratification takes place in summer and winter, and these layers turnover in spring

and fall. $onds get their energy from the sun. As with other ecosystems, plants are

the primary producers. %he chlorophyll in aquatic plants captures energy from the

sun to convert carbon dioxide and water to organic compounds and oxygen through


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the process of photosynthesis. &itrogen and phosphorus are important nutrients

for plants. %he addition of these substances may increase primary productivity.

!owever, too many nutrients can cause algal blooms, leading to eutrophication

'Read $onds ( )utrophication for more information*.

Producers

+ Phytoplankton, literally wandering plants,- are microscopic algae that float in

the open water and give it a green appearance. %hey carry out photosynthesis using

carbon dioxide that is dissolved in the water and release oxygen that is used by the

bacteria and animals in the pond. $hytoplankton are not actually plantsthey are

protists/

Periphytic algae are microscopic algae that attach themselves to substrates

and give the rocks and sticks a greenish brown slimy appearance. %hey also

carry outphotosynthesis and produce oxygen, often near the bottom of the

pond where it can be used by decomposers.


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Submerged plants grow completely under water

loating plants include plants that float on the surface and plants that are

rooted on the bottom of the pond but have leaves and0or stems that float. Emergent plants are rooted in shallow water but their stems and leaves are

above water most of the time.

Shore plants grow in wet soil at the edge of the pond. 1onsumers

!ooplankton are microscopic animals that eat phytoplankton or smaller

2ooplankton. 3ome are singlecelled animals, tiny crustaceans, or tiny

immature stages of larger animals. 4ooplankton float about in the open

water portions of the pond and are important food for some animals.

In"ertebrates include all animals without backbones. 5acro invertebrates

are big enough to be seen with the naked eye. 3ome of them are only found

in clean water.

#ertebrates are animals with backbones. n a pond these might include fish,

frogs, salamanders, and turtles. 6ecomposers Animal waste and dead and

decaying plants and animals form detritus on the bottom of the pond.


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Decomposers

Animal waste and dead and decaying plants and animals form detritus on the

bottom of the pond. Decomposers, also known as detrito"ores$ are bacteria and

other organisms that break down detritus into material that can be used by primary

producers,


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thus returning the detritus to the ecosystem. As this material

decomposes it can serve as a food resource for microbes and

invertebrates. During decay microbes living on detritus can pull

nutrients from the overlying water thus acting to improve water

quality.In the process of breaking down detritus, decomposers

produce water and carbon dioxide.

A pond is a body of standing water , either natural or artificial, that is usually

smaller than a lake. %hey may arise naturally in floodplains as part of a river

system, or they may be somewhat isolated depressions 'examples include vernal

pools and prairie potholes*. 7sually they contain shallow water with marsh and

aquatic plants and animals. A few animals also make their home in ponds,

including both alligators and beavers. %he type of life in a pond is generally

determined by a combination of factors including water level regime 'particularly

depth and duration of flooding* and nutrient levels, but other factors may also be

important, including presence or absence of shading by trees, presence or absence

of streams, effects of gra2ing animals, and salinity.

$onds are frequently humanconstructed. n country side farmers and villagers dig

a pond in their backyard or increase the depth of an existing pond by removing

layers of mud during summer season. A wide variety of artificial bodies of water

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_of_waterhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_stagnationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_stagnationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_of_water


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are classified as ponds. 3ome ponds are created specifically for habitat restoration,

including water treatment. 8thers, like water gardens, water features and koi ponds

are designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural

features. 9ish ponds are designed for commercial fish breeding, and solar ponds

designed to store thermal energy.

3tanding bodies of water such as puddles, ponds, and lakes are often categori2ed

separately from flowing water courses, such as a brook, creek, stream or river.

&utrient levels and water quality in ponds can be controlled through natural

process such as algal growth, or through artificial filtration, such as an algae

scrubber .

Technical de%initions

A small artificial garden pond at the%aj #ake $alace in 7daipur , ndia

%he technical distinction between a pond and a lake has not been universally

standardi2ed. #imnologists and freshwater biologists have proposed formal

definitions for pond , in part to include bodies of water where light penetrates to the

bottom of the waterbody, bodies of water shallow enough for rooted water plants

to grow throughout, and bodies of water which lack wave action on the shoreline.

)ach of these definitions has met with resistance or disapproval, as the defining

characteristics are each difficult to measure or verify. Accordingly, some

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_gardenhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_pondhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_pondhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puddlehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algae_scrubberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algae_scrubberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Palacehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Udaipurhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limnologyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrobiologyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_gardenhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_pondhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_pondhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puddlehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algae_scrubberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algae_scrubberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Palacehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Udaipurhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limnologyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrobiology


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organi2ations and researchers have settled on technical definitions

of pond and lake which rely on si2e alone.

)ven among organi2ations and researchers who distinguish lakes from

ponds by si2e alone, there is no universally recognised standard for the maximum

si2e of a pond. %he international Ramsar wetland convention sets the upper limit

for pond si2e as ; hectares 'ritish charity $ond 1onservation have

defined a pond to be a manmade or natural water body which is between ? m


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$onds can result from a wide range of natural processes. Any depression in the

ground which collects and retains a sufficient amount of precipitation can be

considered a pond, and such depressions can be formed by a variety of geological

and ecological events. Rivers often leave behind ponds in natural flood plains after

spring flooding, and these can be very important to breeding fish, particularly in

large river systems like the Ama2on. Retreating glaciers can leave behind

landscapes filled with small depressions, each developing its own pondB an

example is the $rairie $othole Region of &orth America. 5any areas of landscape

contain small depressions which form temporary ponds after spring snow melt, or

during rainy seasonsB these are called vernal ponds, and may be important sites

for amphibian breeding. 3ome ponds are created by animals. >eaver ponds are the

best known example, but alligators also excavate ponds as well. n landscapes with

organic soils, fires can also create depressions during periods of droughtB these

become open water when normal water levels return.

Characteristics

6uring the last thirty years of his life, the main focus of 1laude 5onetsartistic

production was a series of about


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margin of the pond is fringed by wetland, and these wetlands support the aquatic

food web, provide shelter for wildlife, and stabili2e the shore of the pond. 3ome

gra2ing animals like geese and muskrats consume the wetland plants directly as a

source of food. n many other cases, however, the pond plants fall into the water

and decay. A large number of invertebrates then feed on the decaying plants, and

these invertebrates provide food for wetland species including fish, dragonflies and

herons. %he open water may allow algae to grow, and these algae may support yet

another food web that includes aquatic insects and minnows. A pond, therefore,

may have combinations of three different food webs, one based on larger plants,

one based upon decayed plants, and one based upon algae. !ence, ponds often

have a large number of different animal species using the wide array of food

sources. %hey therefore provide an important source of biological diversity in

landscapes.

Gernal ponds are ponds which dry up for part of the year. &aturally occurring

vernal ponds do not usually have fish. %hey are called vernal ponds because they

are typically at their peak depth in the spring 'HvernalH means to do with the

spring*. %he absence of fish is a very important characteristic, since it provides

amphibians with breeding locations free from predation by fish. !ence,

introducing fish to a pond can have serious detrimental consequences. n some

parts of the world, such as 1alifornia, the vernal ponds have rare and endangered

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wetlandhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernal_pondhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wetlandhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernal_pond


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plant species. 8n the coastal plain, they provide habitat for endangered frogs such

as the 5ississippi "opher 9rog.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_Gopher_Froghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_Gopher_Frog


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the surrounding landscapes. t is also beneficial to allow water levels to fall each

year during drier periods. Roads and houses should be kept as far away as possible.

Another important way to add ponds back into landscapes is to restore rivers so

that they can flood and meander to create large numbers of natural ponds,

including vernal pools and wetlands, in river valleys.

Nomenclature

n origin, pond is a variant form of the word pound, meaning a confining

enclosure. As straying cattle are enclosed in a pound so water is enclosed in a

pond. n earlier times, ponds were artificial and utilitarianB as stew ponds, mill

ponds and so on. %he significance of this feature seems, in some cases, to have

been lost when the word was carried abroad with emigrants. n the 7nited 3tates,

natural pools are often called ponds. $onds for a specific purpose keep the

adjective, such as Hstock pondH, used for watering livestock.

Pond usually implies a quite small body of water, generally smaller than one would

require a boat to cross. Another definition is that a pond is a body of water where

even its deepest areas are reached by sunlight or where a human can walk across

the entire body of water without being submerged. n some dialects of )nglish,

pond normally refers to small artificially created bodies of water.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stew_pondhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mill_pondhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mill_pondhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_languagehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stew_pondhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mill_pondhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mill_pondhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language


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3ome regions of the 7nited 3tates define a pond as a body of water with a surface

area of less than ?= acres 'F.= ha*. 5innesota, known as the land of ?=,=== lakes

is commonly said to distinguish lakes from ponds, bogs and other water features by

this definition, but also says that a lake is distinguished primarily by wave action

reaching the shore.

Pond in 'inter

%he term is also used for temporary accumulation of water from surface

runoff ' ponded water*.

%here are various regional names for naturally occurring ponds. n 3cotland, one of

the terms is lochan, which may also apply to a large body of water such as a lake.

n &orth American prairies, they may be termed playas.

Uses

"lobally, the most important service provided by a pond, at many scales, is the

production of fish and other wildlife. %hese are often also a source of food for

humans, as well as an important source of recreation. At the same time, these

ponds help maintain water quality by recycling nutrients.

n the ndian subcontinent, !indu temples usually have a pond nearby so that

pilgrims can take baths. %hese ponds are considered sacred.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesotahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_runoffhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_runoffhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotlandhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lochhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playashttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesotahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_runoffhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_runoffhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotlandhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lochhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playashttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu


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n medieval times in ndia, it was typical for many monastery and castles 'small,

partly selfsufficient communities* to have fish ponds. %hese are still common in

ndia and in )ast Asia , where koi may be kept.

Caste stabili2ation ponds are used as a lowcost method for wastewater treatment.

n agriculture, treatment ponds may reduce nutrients released downstream from the

pond. %hey may also provide irrigation reservoirs at times of drought.

Chapter-2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medievalhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monasteryhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castlehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_pondhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Asiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stabilization_pondhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treatment_pondhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reservoirhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medievalhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monasteryhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castlehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_pondhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Asiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stabilization_pondhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treatment_pondhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reservoir


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(ITER)TURE RE#IE*

Aquatic ecosystem, whether it is lentic or lotic, is one of the valuable natural

resource is whose quality has a vital concern for human welfare, socioeconomic

development and distribution of aquatic organisms. n general, fresh water bodies

include diverse types which include ponds, pools, streams, rivers, etc. n fact, such

freshwater bodies are of immense importance as they not only produce potable

water and fodder but also ensure the stability of the microclimate of the area,

ground water recharge, generating employment by boosting tourism, fisheries,

recreation, etc. '$array et al .,


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animals and economic benefits such as fish breeding '5ini et al .,


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pond in %amilnadu was studied by Rao et al . '?KKE*. %here are several reports on

the environmental factors which affect the water quality '3ingh, ?KKB Main et al .,

?KKD and Iumar, ?KKJ*.

)cological significance and biological characteristic features of freshwater bodies

in 5ysore were highlighted by >hatt et al . '?KKK*. Mha and >arat '


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aquatic ecosystem was observed by 5urugesan et al . 'irganj at &epal. %he water quality of Ialol city in "ujarat

was studied by $rajapati and Raol 'ellandur lake >angalore was reported by

1handrasekhar et al . 'odhan lake. Cater quality assessment of Ihumph

&imars lake at 5adhya $radesh was studied by Ihare et al . '


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'


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pond is well documented by Adhikari '


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%herefore, safety assessment of aquatic ecosystems is important forthe human

health.

All aquatic ecosystems are provided with planktons which are microscopic,

cosmopolitan in distribution and play a prominent role as feed, food, agriculture

and as vitamin sources. $hytoplankton functions as the primary producers in the

food chain and fixing solar energy into Gitamin 6. 5oreover, it reoxygenates the

water, when they are growing and mainly used as food and feed to the aquatic

organisms in aquaculture field. %here are two major groups, i.e. phytoplankton and

2ooplankton 'Genkateswarlu, acillariophyceae, 1yanophyceae, 6inophyceae and )ugeophycean '5ini et

al .,


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9rom the very earlier periods a host of workers have stated the influence of

nutrients and physicochemical factors on algal diversity '1haturvedi and qbal,

?KKB !arikrishnan et al ., ?KKK and !us2ar et al .,


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1hlorophycean members was reported by Reshmi '


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such as p!, temperature, light intensity, alkalinity along with micro nutrients of

3unumbu Ialathour lake at Rajasthan was studied by Rajasulochana et al . '


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observed by %as and "onnol '


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different eutrophication levels in the lakes of !osur. 6ifferent nutrient

concentrations in ponds, specially nitrate and phosphate contents, induced blooms

'&andan and $atil, ?KK


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A good account of 1hlorophyta was published by Irishnamurthy '


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a significant role in the distribution pattern and species composition of plankton.

%he penetration of light, temperature, salinity, p!, hardness, phosphate and nitrate

are the important factors for the growth and density of phytoplankton on which

2ooplankton are higher consumer depend for their existence '5ohar et al .,alasingh '


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Chapter-3

&)TERI)( )ND &ET+ODS

nidhi tiwari (pond ecosystem) complete

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