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Environmental Studies

Field work on

Name of the student: Priyanka kajol

Course: B.com(Hons.) Year: 3rd year 2020
College Roll: 65
C.U Registration no.: 011-1211-0799-17
C.U Roll no: 171011-11-0051

UNDER THE GUIDELINE OF

PROF.TRIBHUWAN NATH OJHA
2|Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
It is a matter of great pleasure to present this project on
“THE STUDY OF POND ECO SYSTEM”
I take this opportunity to thanks our respected principle DR.. Purna Chandra
Mitra for giving me an opportunity to study in her college.
I am eagerly grateful to our Head of Department Prof. Supratim Dey
without whom this project would not have been successful one.
I am very thankful to my supervisor Prof. Tribhuwan Nath Ojha for his
full support in completing this project work.

Finally, I am gratefully acknowledge the support of my family

and friends who had given me full support and co operated with me for the
completion of this project.

This is to certify that MS. PRIYANKA KAJOL of semester VI of B.COM

{HONS.} of Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose College has completed her project on The
study of pond ecosystem under my guidance and supervision. She has taken proper care
and shown utmost sincerity in completion of this project.

I certify that this project is upto my expectations and according to the latest
CBCS guidelines.

MR. Tribhuwan Nath Ojha Mrs.Purna Chandra Maity

{ENVS TEACHER} {PRINCIPLE}
 3|Page INDEX

SL.NO TOPICS PAGE

NO.

1. INTRODUCTION 4

2. CAUSES 6

3. TYPES OF POND ECOSYSTEM 7

4. CHARACTERISTICS
8

5. FOOD CHAIN OF POND ECOSYSTEM 9

6. CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT 11

7. IMPORTANCE 13

8. ANALYSIS OF THE STUDY 13

9. OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT 16

10. FINDINGS 18

11. CONCLUSION 19

12. BIBLIOGRAPHY 21
 4|Page 1. INTRODUCTION

A pond is a body of stable water. It is ei ther natural or artificial and usually

it is smaller than a lake. They contain shallow water with aquatic plants and
animals. A few animals also make their home in ponds. A pond ecosystem refers
to fresh water ecosystem where there are communitie s of organism depends on each
other with the prevailing water environment for their nutrients and survival. Usually
ponds are shallow water bodies with a depth of 12 to 15 feet in which the Sunrise
can penetrate to the bottom permitting the growth of the plants there. The pond
ecosystem can reveal the health of a local area. They have specific life that show its
overall health. Toxins or pollution can affect the pond ecosystem adversely. The
importance of understanding the pond ecosystem involves the life forms and plant
cultures that are part of the healthy environment.

The pond ecosystem begins with what lives the water. From the smallest microbes,
single cell creature to the guppies, leeches and midges, only clean water can
sustain life. The plants that convert oxygen for these creatures are very impotant.
The healthy pond ecosystem will have a balance of both plant and animals living
with in its parameters. With human activity impacting on th e pond environ ment, toxins
can effect the quality of pond ecosystem. If toxins can affect the water plants can
die.Without plants to add oxygen to the water, the creatures might perish. Without
the smallest life form s in the foodchain, the ripple effect can lead to other species
dying out or leaving the pond environment.
 5 | Page

Leeches have long been an indicator of the pond ecosystems health status. Leeches are
found where the water quality is good. If the p ond ecosystem is not balanced, or there
are impurities in the water that the life fo rms cannot deal with, then one of the first
to suffer or leave the environment is the leech. Birds, spiders, lizards, rodents,
rabbits and larger mammals are all reliant on a healthy pond eco system. Without
clean water, filtered by ample plant life or good drainable soil, the larger animals will
need to find other sources of water.

Agriculter and the impact of human activity on the pond ecosy stem can affect the
quality and purity of soil and water. Fertilizers, oil, introduced species, pollution,
fishing can all upset the delicate balance that exixts m in a healthy pond ecosystem.
Maintaining the balance, kep ping every species alive and in good numbers will ensure
a healthy , vital pond ecosystem. Fresh water, climate, drought, humidity, rising salinity
are all impotant factors that can affect the pond ecosystem beyond the i nitial impact
of human activity.

The food chain, from tiny water borne crfeatures that feed midges and insects that
feed birds, to the rabbits that feed foxes and the grases that feed cattle and sheep, all
depend on the pond ecosystem to sustain their lives. Water is essential to life on
this planet. Fresh water and the quality of fresh water in the pond ecosystem is
actually of global impor
 6 | Page 2.CAUSES

Pond as a water body in an environment has great importance. It’ s water meets
various demands of the rural area. The village people are dependent on pond for
bathing, washing clothes and utensils. The pond water is even used as drinking water.
But unfortunetly due to lack of awareness the ecosystem of apond is disturbed by the
activities of human being. Pond is polluted due to cattle bathing, domestic wates,
washing of clothing ,untenlis and also by human excretio ns etc. As the water body is
the habitat of various organisms, pollution disturbs its ecosystem. The balance in
ecosystem is disturbed by the abolition of ecosystem or pollution of pond. For this
reason the study of pond ecosystem is very important . it is also impotant to maintain
the pond ecosystem. The biodiversity of lake and pond ecosystem is currently
threatened by a number of anthropogenic disturbances inclu ding well known problems
such as euthropication, acidification and contamination for example heavy metals and
organochlorines.

These are specific type of freshwat er ecosystems that are largely based on the
autotroph algae which provide the base trophic level for all life in the area. The

largest predator in a pond ecosystem will normally be a fish and in -between range
smaller insects and microorganisms. It may have a scale of organisms from bacteria to
7 | Page big creatures like water bugs, frogs, tadepoles, and turtles. This is
important for the environment.

3. TYPES OF POND ECOSYSTEM

Ponds can come in many different forms, and they all have their own differentiating
characteristics.Below you will find a discussion of some of the key types of pond
ecosystem:

1. Salt ponds:

Salt ponds contain brackish (i.e.salty) water and can occur close to the sea n side
where waterlogged ground creates natural pools . Salt ponds can also occur in rocky
area on the beach, though here they are called rock pools. It is also possi ble to find
salt ponds in inland.

2.Garden ponds:

These artificially created ponds can contain ornamental plants and animals species that
come from all over the world(ie.non native species).

3. Fresh water ponds:

Freshwater ponds can from anywhere inland, either from rainfall or form the presence
of water saturating the soil. They can be home to fish , birds, amphibians, crustanceans
and many other kinds od wildlife.

4.Vernal ponds:

Vernal ponds are seasonal ponds. They form in depressions in the ground, but only
during certain types of the year when rainfall is heaviest. As a result, they will
attract certain types of animals and birds that are in need of a drink whwnever they
appear and at other times of the year will be relatively deserted - one example for
instance is a seasonal oasis in the desert. These types of pond ecosystems are
sometimes reffered to as ephemer al ponds as well, to reflect the fact that they only
exists at certain times of year.

5. Underground ponds:

Ponds can also form underground, in the rocky environment of caves. Here a suprising amount of life can
be found, including fish, different bacteria, lichens and so on.
 8|Page 4. Characteristics
A defining feature of pond is the presence of standing water, which provides habitat
for wetland plants and animals. Familiar examples might include water lilies, frogs,
turtules, herons. Often, the entire margin of the pond is fringed by wetland, and these
wetlands support the aqatic food web, provide shelter for wildlife, and stabilize the
shore of pond. Some grazing animals like geese and muskrats consume the wetland
plants directly as a source of food. In many other cases, however the pond plants fall
into the water and decay. Many invertebrates then feed on the decying plants, and
these invertebrates provide food for the wetland species includ ing fish, dragonflies, and
herons. The 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 differ ent food webs, one based on larger plants, one based
upon decayed plants, and one based on algae. Hence, ponds often have many different
animals species using the wide array of food sources. They therefore provide an
important source of biological diversity in landscape.

Vernal ponds are ponds which dry up for part of the year. They are so called
because they are typically at their peak depth in the spring. Naturtally occurring vernal
ponds donot usually have fishes. The absence of fish very impotant characteristics
since it provides amphibians with breeding location free from predation by fish.
Hence, introducing fish to a pond can have seriously detrimrntal consequences. In
some parts of the world, such as California, the vernal ponds have rare and
endangered plant specioes. On the coastal plain, they provide habitat for endangered
frogs such as the Mississippi gopher frog. Pond Ecosystem are the balance of fish,
bacterias and plants which together support each other. Pond Ecosystem works on ponds which
are shallow enough for the sunlight to pass through it. It is a living ecosystem itself. Ponds do
not have universally accepted standard of it’s maximum size. Ponds are wet and are surrounded
by artificial and natural banks. The ponds provide inhabitation to wetland plant and animals.
Pond works with a combination of three foodwebs at a time. There exist a type of pond where
no trace of fishes is to be seen. This type of ponds are known as vernal ponds. These type of
ponds inhabitat rar e and endangered plant species.
 9 | Page 5. Food chain of pond ecosystem
For an ecosystem to work there has to be a flow of energy within it. The organisms of the
ecosystem need energy in the form of food.

The ultimate source of this energy is the sun. Producers like green plants trap solar energy and
convert it into the chemical energy of food. When a primary consumer eats the producer, a part
of this energy is passed on to it. The primary con sumer is then eaten by a secondary consumer.
And the secondary consumer may be eaten by a tertiary consumer, and so on. In this way energy
gets transferred from one consumer to the next higher level of consumer. A series of organisms
through which food energy flows in an ecosystem is called a food chain. It may also be defined
as follows.

A food chain in an ecosystem is a series of organisms in which each organism feeds on the one
below it in the series. In a forest ecosystem, grass is eaten by a deer, which in turn is eaten by a
tiger. The grass, deer and tiger form a food chain. In this food chain, energy flows from the

grass (producer) to the deer (primary consumer) to the tiger (secondary consumer ).

A food chain in a grassland ecosystem may consist of grasses and other plants, grasshoppers, frogs, snakes and
hawks
10 | P a g e
In a freshwater aquatic ecosystem like a pond, the organisms in the food chain include algae, small animals, insects
and their larvae, small fish, big fish and a fish-eating bird or animal

A food chain always begins with producers. Herbivores (plant -eaters) come next in the chain.
They are consumed by carnivores (flesh -eaters). A few food chains can be long and may extend
to the fourth, fifth or even sixth order of consumers.

Some common food chains are mentioned below:

Plants → Deer → Lion

Plants → Worm→ Bird → Cat

Plants→ Grasshopper→ Frog→ Snake→ Hawk

Algae→ Small→ animal → Small fish → Big fish —> Bir

11 | P a g e 6. Conservation and management

Ponds, being small, are easily disrupted by human activity, such as hikers. Drainage of ponds is
a frequent problem in agricultural areas, such as in the prairie potholes of North America.
Although ponds are a useful source of water for cattle overgrazing and wading can turn a
pond into a muddy hole. Nutrient sources such as fertilized pastures, human sewage, and even
lawn fertilizer can cause explosive growth of algae and the loss of rooted plants and many other
aquatic species. Roads near ponds can kill large numbers of amphibians and turtles that may
migrate to and from the pond as part of their annual breeding cycle. Many well -intentioned
people introduce fish to ponds, being unaware that some species may eat aquatic plants, stir up
sediment, and eat the young of amphibians and many other invertebrate species. The gentle
slope of land into ponds also provides an expanse of habitat for wetland plants and wet
meadows. The construction of retaining walls, or lawns, can severely degrade the life in a p ond.

In landscapes where ponds are artificially constructed, they are done so to provide wildlife
viewing opportunities, to treat wastewater, or for aesthetic purposes, such as part of a golf
course. The design of a pond determines how productive it will b e for wildlife. In general,
gently sloping shorelines with broad expanses of wetland plants not only provide the best
conditions for wildlife, but they help protect water quality from sources in the surrounding
landscapes. It is also beneficial to allow wa ter 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 valley. Biodiversity
importance of ponds should be recognised in India. It should start with identifying some high
priority ponds. In this regard in line of some European countries a pond habitat and biodiversity
action plan can be initiated in India. The number of ponds in India is unknown. Their
biodiversity values should be thoroughly and extensively studied. Ponds play important roles in
enhancement of regional biodiversity and ecological stability . Ponds promote abundance and
high richness of aquatic plants and enhance regional biodiversity of invertebrates, amphibians
and aquatic birds. Ponds and other small water bodies are also known for their high
productivity. Ponds can be significantly more a ctive biologically than large water bodies. Small
aquatic systems are important sites for food production also The biodiversity value of ponds
comes from their role as: critical habitats for many rare and uncommon species, stepping stone
habitats and biodiversity hotspots.

The conservation of ponds should be connected to the Swachh Bharat initiative. In cities and
towns greater municipal -citizen collaboration will help. However, seeing the capacity gap the
municipal bodies face in dealing with the municipal works, it is not hard to predict the
insensitivity of the urban local bodies towards pond water bodies. How under -equipped the
 12 | P a g e
municipal bodies are can be realised from the latest government data which shows that of 1.42
lakh tonnes of solid waste generated per day in urban areas in the month of July, 2015 AD, only
15.32% was processed Thus, citiz ens themselves should take initiative in cleanliness drive and
pond conservation works. The urban populace can learn from the rural habitants who have
displayed that sheer perseverance can bring significant results with respect to the sustainable
development. In this regard two examples are worth mentioning here (although these are not
related to the ponds). A consortium, led by women group, has been instrumental in bringing
metamorphic changes in some rural areas of the Madhya Pradesh. Through community
participation, the consortium has successfully lifted the rural economy by focusing on land,
forest, water and use of manure and vermicomposting. Because of their small size, ponds are
much more vulnerable to degradation. Ecological assessment and monitoring of ponds is a
major topic in their conservation and management. Ecological restoration of degraded
ecosystems is one of the management options. Ponds provide sustainable solutions against
climate change, even though they themselves look vulnerable to clim ate change. What is needed
is micro-planning and micro-management to minimise the impact of climate change on ponds.
For example, to counteract rising water temperatures of small water bodies, increasing the
amount of shade around them can be a possible ma nagement option Ponds being highly active
carbon sequestration body can help mitigate climate change. By increasing the number of ponds
followed by their protection and proper management, climate change induced water scarcity
problem can be brought down. W ater storage capacity can be elevated, in adaptation to climate
change, through rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge. With proper conservation
measures even climate change induced eutrophication of ponds can be minimised. It is
necessary to fence the ponds in order to prevent them from becoming dumping grounds for the
wastes. Dumping of wastes subsequently make the water bodies natural breeding grounds for
mosquitoes spreading diseases such as dengue. To curb the spread of diseases like dengue, the
honourable Gujarat High Court recently directed the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation to
fence the city ponds to check the waste dumping activities in ponds. In India, the Gujarat state
has taken a proactive approach to push water harvesting and setting up or creating village
ponds, especially for irrigation purpose. This irrigation model should also be replicated in other
parts of the country. At the Panchayat level small sewage treatment plants can be set up to treat
village sewerage before disposing in th e pond waters. Village sewage can be used to generate
biogas through biogas plants. Around the ponds grasses and other plants can be grown which
will acts as filters for the runoff waters from agricultural fields and urban and village lands.
There is need to develop a Pond Water Framework Policy especially in terms of climate change,
pondscape biodiversity and sustainable development scenarios. The Indian Pond Conservation
Network (IPCN) is much needed for the sustainable development and management of ponds.
13 | P a g e 7.Importance of pond ecosystem

Pond ecosystem are very important, and for this reason it is vital that we take steps to
protect and nuture them below you will find some significant reasons why this is the
case:

1. Biodiversity:

Pond ecosystem are very important habitats for so many different types of fish, birds,
plant and crustances as well as insects such as dragonflies, damsel flies and pond
skaters.

2.Ubiquity

Pond ecosystem can be found on every continent on the plant. That makes them very
important for the life of organism all over the world.

3. Abudance:

Pond ecosystems are very abudent. Not only can they be found almost everywhere, they
can be found plentifully. That again makes them a key habitat for many different
species.

4. Source of hydration:

Even if they donot actually live in pond ecosystem, many species of animals will
come to pond ecosystem whenever they need a drink. A key example i s a watering
hole in a prairie or desert. Humans can also use these ecosystems as a source of
water.

5.Beauty:

Pond ecosystems are very beautiful as well as we watch the sunlight reflecting off the
surface of a pond we can feel inspired, calm and in touch with nature.

8. ANALYSIS OF THE STUDY

It is evident that that a food chain between the organism s in the pond has been
formed. An ecosystem has been formed in the pond. The producers of this ecosystem
has been formed in the pond. The producers of this ecosystem are algae and the green
plants. The primary consumers are the small insects like water spider, Cyclops,
mosquitos larvae etc. the secondry consumers are the small insects like water spider,
14 | P a g e
Cyclops, mosquitos larvae etc. the secondry consumers are toad, frog, duck, and small
fishes. The tertiary consumers are large fishes, kingfishers etc.

Some information of few observed animals is noted in the following table:

ANIMALS RESPIRATORY LOCOMOTIVE FOOD PRIMARY STAGE

ORGANS ORGANS OF LIFE CYCLE
Gills>intakeswater Fish and tail Water insects and Eggs
1.Small fishes Dissolved oxygen algae

Gills>intakes water Belly legs Water insects and Eggs

2. Prawn Dissolved oxygen algae

Lungs and skin Two pairs of webbed Water insects Eggs and tadpoles
3.Toad legs

Lungs One psair of webbed Water insects, Eggs

4. Duck legs mollusks and small
fishes
5. Cormorant Lungs One pair webbed Molluscs and small Eggs
leg and wing fishes

6. Mosquitos Larvae and pupa Larvae swim on Female sucks Eggs, larvae and
stage respire water, adult flies mammalian blood pupa
through siphon tube with wings and male sucks plant
sap
Ctenedium and Body covered by a Small aqatic Egg and larvae
7. Snail pulmonary sac shell. Locomotary organisms
organ is muscular
foot attached with
operculum

The pond water may be divded into three layers as follows:

1. Littoral layer: This is the marginal layer of the pond and good habitat for plants.
The producer of this layer are the rooted plants and phytoplanktons.
2. Limnetic layer: This is the lower layer of littoral region. It is h abitat for fish.
 15 | P a g e
3 . Profundal layer: It is the lowermost layer of the pond. It is the habitat of
microbes I,e, decomposers.

The temperature of the pond water also varies from layer to layer. The the
temperature of the different layers of the pond in summer are shown in the graph on
the following page.

The temperature of the upper surface o f the pond is almost 20 degree Celsius. Genrally
the temperature of pond water decreases with increase in depth. According to the
temperature of water we can classify pond water in three different layers:

1. Epilimnion: The uppermost layer of pond where the temperature is almost 20

degree C.
2. Metalimnion: The second layer which is just below epilimnion. The temperature
of this layer is about 18 degree C.
3. Hypolimnion: The lowermost layer where the temper ature is 15 degree C.
16 | P a g e

9.OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT

The main objective of this project is to study how a water body or a pond can form an ecosystem.
Another objective of this project is to know the food chain existing in the water body, to know their
producers, consumers and decomposers. In other words, simply to study the organisms going and living in
the pond habitat is the main objective. Apart from these, to aware the genral people about the
importance of the water body or pond in the environment, is also an objective of the project.

Food chain in a pond ecosystem is dividend into three basics trophic levels, namely the
first, second and third trophic levels. The first trophic level is represented by the producers or the
autotrophs; for example phytoplankton and plants. They prepare their own foods with the help of energy
from sunlight through the process of photosynthesis. The second trophic level is characterized by
herbivores such as insects, crustanceans and invertebrates inhabiting the pond and which consume the
plants. The third and the most trophic level comprises of the carnivores, especially the fishes, which can
feed on both plants and the herbivores of the first and second trophic level respectively.

In addition to the three trophic levels, there are saporrophic organism, commonly known as
decomposers, which are located at the bottom of the food chain. Decomposers, mostly the bacteria and
fungi are very important in the nutrient cycle as all the organic matter from the dead and decayed
organism is converted into carbon dioxide and nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and magnesium.
These nutrients are generated in such a way that they can be readily used by algae and plants for
production of food to be consumed by the herbivores. Furthermore, the carnivores consume the producers
and herbivores. Thus the flow of energy is maintained in a pond ecosystem.

Plants/producers:

Fig: Algae Fig: Lotus

 17 | P a g e Primary consumers:

Fig: Snail Fig: Dragon fly

Fig: mosquito larvae Fig: Lata fish

Secondry Consumers:

Fig: Toad Fig: Rohu fish

 18 | P a g e Tertiary consumers:

Fig: Kingfisher Fig: Duck

10. Findings

Due to pressures of increased population, everyday somewhere at least one natural

water body or pond is soiled for the construction of housing complex. Its influence i s
long standing and this is burning problem now. People should be aware of soiling of
natural body or pond. Pond can support a village economy through fishiery, pearl
culture etc. pond can resis flood by holding excess water in rainy season. It can also
act as a natural refinery of dirty water. The dry part os the water body can be used
for grazing. Therefore, the importance of water body is mulitipurpose so the study of
ecosystem and its preservation is important.

Aquatic ecosystem performs many important environmental functions. For

example, they recycle nutrients, purify water, attenuate floods, recharge ground water
and provides habita ts for wildlife. Aquatic ecosystem are also used for human
recreation, and are very important to the tourism industry, especially in coastal regions.

The health of an aquatic ecosystem is degraded when the ecosystem ability

to absorb a strss has been exceeded. A stress on a aquatic ecosystem can be a result
of physical, chemical or biological alteration of the environment. Physical alterations
includes changes in water temp erature, water flow and light avaialiblity. Chemical
alterations include changes in loading rates of biostimulatory nutrients, oxygen
consuming materials, and toxins. Biological alterations include the introduction of
exotic species, human popoluation can impose excessive stresses on aquatic ecosystem.
 19 | P a g e 11. Conclusion

The major objective of this communication is to disseminate information on

importance of ponds for their conservation and management planning, especially in Indian
perspectives. The available studies show that the ponds in India are under threat due to increase
in pollution rate s and encroachment. There is a need to formulate policy development plan and
then endeavour to deliver the plan on the ground. Instead of treating ponds as individual sites,
they should rather be treated as part of the pond network or pondscape (more impor tant in terms
of climate change problem). The urgently required is a Pond Water Framework Policy and the
Indian Pond Conservation Network for the sustainable development and management of ponds.
In Indian scenario the exact number of ponds and the volumes of water they store are unknown.
Information is lacking on existing storage and large scale benefits the ponds provide. The basic
scientific insights needed for planning and management of ponds is inadequate. There is a need
to promote frontier research an d development in these areas.. It is essential to do systematic
analysis of ponds as alternative storage options in relation to their roles in poverty reduction,
and adaptation to climate change in India. It is noteworthy that ponds provide practical water
conservation solutions. From the above collected data it is evident that each and every
organism of the pond are somehow interrelated with each other and they together
form one or more ecosystem. The temperature of t he upper layer of the pond is
comparatively warmer than the lower layer. The producers of the pond ecosystem are
grown on littoral zone. Though the consumer lives on the limnetic zone but they travel
to the limnetic zon e for their food. It may be mentioned that we have not observed
any pollution on the water pond supplied. The quality of an aquatic ecosystem depends on
its physicochemical qualities as well as biological diversityPonds in India are not taken as a
priority habitat which makes them a vulnerable ecosystem. Habitat types or elements which
carry a unique or important significance to a diverse array of species can be regarded as priority
habitats. These habitat types contain a unique compositi on of flora, succession stage and/or
structural factor.It is very hard to say whether ponds are considered in environmental impact
assessments (EIAs) of projects, particularly building projects, or not. Ponds are functional
ecosystems and provide sustainab le solutions to many of our problems. These water bodies are,
however, undergoing degeneration due to various factors including encroachments leading to
their extinctions. Extinction rate of ponds due to urbanisation is more prominent. The demand
of land in urban areas, which is increasing at a rapid rate, is fulfilled not only by expanding the
peri-urban areas but also by encroaching breathing spaces in urban localities such as green
lands and water bodies. The worst victims of these expansions are natura l resources such as
tanks and ponds in and around urban areas resulting in their disappearance from the map
(excerpts taken from the foreword comments by Deshpande in the literature of Thippaiah). The
ponds should be the essential aspect of any landscape development EIAs. Small water bodies, in
20 | P a g e
addition to being important functional wetland ecosystems, can play significant role in
enhancing livelihoods of the local community belonging to rural, urban, coastal and tribal areas
of India. On the scale of regional diversity, a network of ponds shows greater contribution as
compared to lakes or rivers. Research indicates different ecological characteristics of ponds
from other inland surface water systems . The number of macro -invertebrate species is found
more in ponds than rivers as a whole. In comparison to lakes, ponds support similar number of
wetland plants. In terms of regional diversity, however, farmland ponds display greater
contribution than other water habitats including rivers. Both individual sites and pond networks
carry importance for biodiversity. Single ponds can play roles as biodiversity hotspots as well
as refuges for both aquatic and terrestrial biota, especially within landscapes which are
intensively farmed. Pond networks are a crucial part of the habitat of amphibians, fish on river
flood plains, many wetlan d plant species, and for wetland mammals and avian fauna that cover a
range over large areas. Ponds can be used as sedimentation ponds and structures to control
water quality. Pond can remove diffuse pollutants including nitrogen, phosphorous, and
sediments in surface waters and reduce the nutrient load of the receiving water bodies. In this
technique, called nutrient retention, ponds are strategically located in such a way to intercept
water from the drainage systems before they debouch into receiving wate r bodies. water
conservation measures and rainwater harvesting must get highest priority in water resources
development and management. Ponds also perform other beneficial effects such as regulating
temperature and humidity (microclimate regulation). Altho ugh ponds are small, they maintain a
connected landscape by constituting a series of vital stepping stones that run through the
landscape as well as presenting a range of benefits to the surrounding ecosystems. Ponds may
modify the rates of groundwater inf iltration and evaporative loss of water. The actions of ponds
are not limited to their local and regional scales. They are important beyond these boundaries as
they contribute significantly in global biogeochemical cycles. Ponds can be used as model
ecosystems to test scientific theories in diverse areas such as ecology, conservation biology,
climate change modelling and evolutionary biology. The cultural and historical significance of
ponds are profound because their sediment records can provide informatio n about the lifestyle
of our ancestors. They are crucial to maintain and encourage link between people and
wildlife. The ponds also carry immense recreational values.
21 | P a g e 12. BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Biology book class 11 t h

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• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pond
• http://www.biologydiscussion.com/essay/food-chain-in-ecosystem-explained-with-
diagrams/1669
• https://www.everything-ponds.com/pond-ecosystem.html
• http://www.mystudytimes.com/pond-ecosystem-meaning-characteristics-types-
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