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2	Plants Typha latifolia – The Broad Leaved Cattails: Broad Leaved Cattails grow in pretty much all water environments. They grow 6 to 8 feet tall ( depending on the plant) but only about half of that is normally visible above water because the other part is beneath the surface of the water. Part of the section of the cattail that is usually under water is the root system which is buried into the substrate. On the top portion of the Cattail there are male and female flowering sections. The female section is the large, fuzzy, brown area and the male section is the small yellow flowering part on the tip of the stem of the plant. The male section produces fuzzy spores that attach with the female section in order to reproduce.
3	Plants Najas Felxilis – Bushy Pondweed: Bushy Pondweed grows to be about 2 in. above the bottom of the pond. It also has roots that dig into the substrate. Also, pondweed lives entirely underneath the pond’s surface. Even though it lives under the water, pondweed can not float around freely because it is rooted into the substrate on the bottom of the pond. This plant reproduces by making long, smooth seeds. These then grow into more pondweed and keep on spreading all around the submersed plant zone of the pond.
4	Invertebrates Dytscus Marginalis – Predaceous Diving Beetle: Diving beetles get to be about 1in. in length. Also, they have long, smooth shells and when they swim their rear end sticks up towards the surface of the water while their head points downwards. The diving beetle is eaten by fish, newts, and ducks. This organisms survives from these predators by swimming away quickly. The diving beetle moves by using their strong rear legs for propulsion. Also when the diving beetle turns into its adult stage its hind legs are so strong that they can even fly with them. The diving beetle breaths through its shell. For food the diving beetle eats frog tadpoles, newt tadpoles, small fish, water fleas, and mites. The life cycle of a predaceous diving beetle goes from an egg to larva to pupa and then to adult.
5	Invertebrates Gerris Marginatus – Water Strider: Water Striders are insects that can grow to be about 0.8 in. long. They also have long legs to skim/jump on the surface film of the water. Some of the organisms that would eat the water strider are amphibious animals. In order to get away from these amphibians the water striders jump at high speeds on top of the waters surface. To move the water strider glides along on its long legs and breaths through its skin. Also, there are many small hair bristles on a water strider’s stomach area to help it float and sense vibrations from its prey. To eat, the water strider uses a sharp, piercing mouth to suck the fluids from other small insects. The life cycle of the water strider is a life cycle called a “simple” cycle and it follows its name. The life cycle of a water strider goes from an egg stage and then it just slowly gets bigger and bigger (not named as a certain stage) until it reaches its adult stage of life.
6	Protists Peranema – (Species Unknown): The Peranema grows to be 20 to 70 m long and is structured with a long tail and a transparent body. This organism moves by using its propeller like tall to swim around gracefully. This organism gets its food by capturing it and it eats Euglena. I am not sure what, if any, organism(s) eat the Peranema. I would assume that some other species of protists would eat it though. The function of this organism in the ecosystem is to keep the Euglena population in a stable state. This plankton reproduces by multiplying.
7	Protists Amoeba – (unknown scientific name): Amoeba can grow to be up to 600 m in size. Also, they normally have many pseudopods (tentacle like things branching off from their main body section). Another thing is that they have a nucleus. This organism is eaten by other protist eating organisms. Also, the amoeba moves by crawling around on it pseudopods (another words the amoeba can not get around that quickly. Another thing is that the Amoeba is that it eats other protists and bacteria. Also for reproduction, this organism multiplies/doubles itself.
8	Amphibian Rana Catesbeiana – American Bullfrog (tadpoles): The American Bullfrog Tadpoles grow to be about 3 in. long and they have a long tail that is about twice the length of their body. Some predators that they need to watch out for are predaceous Diving Beetles who will eat them. The tadpoles can get away quickly though because they are so fast with their tails in the water. The Bullfrog Tadpole functions by using its tail as a source of transportation. Also, the tadpoles breath through their mouths just as they would when they turn into an adult Bullfrog. For food the Bullfrog Tadpoles eat small insects in the water and they eat them by using their mouth. The life cycle of the Bullfrog goes from an egg to a tadpole (what I saw) and stays as a tadpole for an astounding 2 years. Then, after the 2 years of being a tadpole it finally turns into an adult Bullfrog.
9	Amphibian Rana Pipiens – Northern Leopard Frog The Northern Leopard Frog grows to be about 3 in. long. Also, this organism has spots all over it (this is why that it is called a Leopard Frog). One of the predators that Northern Leopard Frogs have to watch out for are snakes. If the frog sees the snake in time then it can hop away quickly with its powerful hind legs. Another way that the frog functions is by having a long tongue that can shoot out very fast so that it can catch insects that are sitting on near by plants. Also, the Northern Leopard Frog lives in water environments but in the summer they stay away from the body of water. The life cycle of this organism goes from egg to the tadpole stage (has many different layers of growth in this stage) to the adult stage.
10	The Pond Zones
11	Emergent Plant Zone The Emergent Plant Zone is the plant zone that is the closest to the shore. Also, it holds the plants that have roots in the bottom of the pond but their stems and leaves stick above the surface of the water. One of the plants that falls into this category is cattails. Another thing is that most small animals (such as small fish, tadpoles, and frogs) live in this area because they find shelter/safety around the plants.
12	Floating-Leaf Plant Zone The Floating-Leaf Plant Zone is exactly what its name says it is. In the Floating-Leaf Plant Zone there are plants that are totally underneath the water except for leaves that float on top of the pond’s surface. One plant that is like this is Lily pads. Not many organisms live in this section of the pond (except for plants). This is because the large leaves on the surface of the pond block out all of the sun light for the lower sections of the water. This creates an environment not suitable for most organisms who need a lighted environment. Since this is the way it is though, insects like the mayfly lay their eggs on the underside of these large leaves so their young won’t be eaten by any predators.
13	Submersed Plant Zone The Submersed Plant Zone is the centermost zone that contains plants. All of the plants that are in this section are located underneath the water’s surface. One of these plants is the pondweed which spreads around throughout this section of the pond. The only time that plants in this section sometimes stick above the surface is for pollination. Also, in this pond zone the plants tend to be very ‘tangled’ up in each other because the plants are mostly like roots. The organisms that live in this section of the pond tend to be more of the bigger fish (such as catfish). This is because in this area of the pond the water is deep so the large fish can swim around freely.
14	No Rooted Plants The No Rooted Plants Zone is the only plant zone that contains little or no life of most of the organisms. This zone is the one that is located in the middle of ponds and can be recognized easily. The biggest way that you can see it is that it is the darkest area because it is where the deepest water is in the entire pond. Another fact about this zone is that if you are in a boat it is the area where rooted plants stop growing.
15	Bibliography Books: -Pond Life – By: George K. Reid -Guide To Microlife – By: Kenneth G. Rainis and Bruce Russell Websites: -http://www.naturegrid.org.uk/pondexplorer/pondexplorer.html -mckinleyfuneral.com/memorial/cattails.jpg -msucares.com/pubs/infosheets/ is1025.htm -eny3005.ifas.ufl.edu/lab1/ Coleoptera/Dytiscid.htm -www.pleasanton.k12.ca.us/.../ projects/Bio99/MPM/home.html -ino/e/peranema2.gif www.biol.tsukuba.ac.jp/~inouye/ -www.microbe.org/microbes/ protists1.asp -www.state.tn.us/twra/ lifecyc.html -coloherp.org/geo/species/ sperapi.html