Pond Ecosystem: Webquest

Follow the steps below to get to the website with all the information you need to complete this webquest.

1. Search ypte.org.uk
2. Scroll down to the bottom and select "Factsheets" in the bright green box.
3. The page will come up with different topics. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select the "Ponds" topic.
4. To the left of the green boxes below "Related Resources" are blue sites. These are where the information to completing this webquest are held.

Complete the webquest below using the information given at in the Introduction. Follow the steps to get to the information.

What is a Pond?

1. A pond is a small area of still,           water.
2. It is different from a river or a stream because it does not have                 water and it differs from a lake because it has a              area and is no more than around 1.8m deep.
3. Some ponds are formed                   , filled either by an underwater spring, or by rainwater.
4. Sometimes known as ‘                   ’; other ponds are man-made.

Pond Plants

1. If a pond is to be a successful habitat it must have             plants growing in it. They provide food, oxygen and shelter for the animals.
2. Green plants need                     to make their food (photosynthesis) so a pond in the open will be more successful than one in the shade.
3. Plant-eating animals – the                      – eat the plants and the herbivores are eaten by                        (meat eating animals).

Life in a Pond

1. A pond is a fascinating habitat to study, a good one teeming with a great variety of both               and            life.
2. The                            (all the species of animals and plants present) in one pond may be quite different from that in another, even if the ponds are close together.
3. This is because most pond animals cannot travel from one pond to another. Also the water temperature,                content, water cleanliness and the                 of the pond bottom have an influence on the kind of life present.
4. In any pond it is essential that there is a balance of different kinds of                     so that there is enough          for them all to live and reproduce.

Pond Animals

1. More than             species of animals live in ponds – although you are unlikely to find all of them in any single pond.
2. In a large pond you may find                    such as birds like ducks, herons and kingfishers.
3. Even the smallest pond will have a population of                          (frogs, toads and newts), small fish e.g. sticklebacks, and a huge variety of invertebrates (minibeasts).
4. Many different food              are to be found in a pond because each animal eats different things.

Pollution of Ponds

1.  Plenty of oxygen is needed for the bacteria to'                 ’ the waste. The pond can take care of its own waste – it’s            who cause pollution.
2. The most noticeable kind of                is the dumping of rubbish – anything from old cars and drinks cans to bikes and bottles have been found cluttering up ponds. This not only makes the environment look so unsightly but it may also              pond-life.
3. Perhaps the most serious threat to ponds is                pollution as a result of modern               methods. Over the years fields have been sprayed with              to rid the crops of pests. However, rain often washes the excess chemicals off the crops into nearby ponds, streams or rivers, poisoning some of the animals living there.