Pond Ecosystem

Study
Place: In front of Barrion Hall, St. Scholasticas College Manila
Time: 10:30 am-12:00 nn

Leader: Jardio, Czarina Mae M.

Members:
De Veyra, Yvette
Dichoso, Mitch Fawley
Estacio, Jasmin Vera
Fabros, Rica Mae
Torres, Nicole Anne

INTRODUCTION:
An ecosystem is an environment in which biotic organisms interact with each
other with the help of the abiotic components of the surroundings. There are two kinds of
ecosystem the terrestrial ecosystem or the ecosystem in the land area and the aquatic
ecosystem. There are several other ecosystems under aquatic ecosystem and the pond
ecosystem is one. Pond ecosystem is 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 are shallow bodies of water with a depth ranging from 12-15
ft. allowing the sun to penetrate the bottom part and allowing plants to grow. A pond
ecosystem consists of algae, fungi, microorganisms, plants, and various fish. A pond's
ecosystem consists of abiotic environmental factors and biotic communities of organisms.
The abiotic environmental factors of a pond ecosystem includes temperature, flow, and
salinity. The percentage of dissolved oxygen levels in a water body determines what kind
of organisms will grow there. After all, fish need dissolved oxygen in order to survive;
however, anaerobic bacteria will not thrive in an ecosystem pumped with dissolved
oxygen. A water body's salinity may also determine the different species present. For
instance, marine organisms tolerate salinity, while freshwater organisms will not thrive
when exposed to salt. In fact, freshwater ecosystems often have plant species present
which will absorb salts that are dangerous for freshwater organisms. A pond's ecosystem
food chain has three basic trophic levels. The first trophic level represents the producer

and autotrophs, such as phytoplankton and plants. Of which they produce food and
energy through the process of photosynthesis. The second trophic level consists of
herbivores, such as insects, crustaceans, and invertebrates that inhabit the pond and
consume the plants. The third trophic level comprises of carnivores, such as various sizes
of fish, which feed on both the plants and herbivores in the first and second trophic
levels. Saprotrophic organisms are the decomposers located on the bottom of the food
chain, they 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.

DATA AND ANALYSIS:

I.

Determining the Temperature

Water Temperature (Shallow/Above Area in C)

31
30
29
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
0.46180555555555558

0.47222222222222232

0.48263888888888906

The water temperature in the shallow area was constant with the first 15
minutes but the temperature rose after a 15 minute interval period of 11:20 am till
11:35 am.

Water Temperature (Deeper Area/ In the Water in

35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
0.46319444444444446

0.47361111111111115

0.4840277777777

The water temperature in the water area changed a few times, in the initial
time the temperature was 23C then it rose to 24 C after a 15 minute interval and
reverted back to the initial temperature after a 15 minute period.
*II. Relative Humidity
Time
11:00 am
11:15 am
11:30 am

DRY (F)
89 F
90 F
90 F

WET (F)
80 F
80 F
81 F

RH (F)
40 F
36 F
35 F

The relative humidity in the said area is constantly changing within

the period of 11:00 am until 11:30 am of 11 Aug 2015.
III. pH Level of the Pond

The pH Level of the pond ranges from neutral to slightly basic. This implies
that the pond water is not acidic but it is slightly alkaline and the water condition is
still can and organisms can still survive thereto.

Discussion:
1. How does each of the following factors affect plants and animals?
a. Air Temperature- Most plants and animals stay in areas with very specific
climate conditions, such as temperature and rainfall patterns, that enable them to
grow and develop successfully. Some animals respond to warm temperature by
moving to cooler places. Air temperatures also changes the life cycles of plants
and animals. For instance, as the temperature gets warmer, some plants start to
grow and bloom earlier and survive longer while some animals hibernate or

migrate at different times. Most fishes are cold-blooded and have to their body
temperature in equilibrium with the environment. This temperature is set at mean
temperature normally of diurnal cycle. Both humidity & temperature affects them.
To reduce body temperature these have to perspire and if the humidity is also
high, it causes distress. Cold blooded animals can bring down their rate of energy
expenditure (metabolic rate) if the environment forces them. Then, they cease
activity and burrow into earth. Therefore changes in the air temperature can affect
the plants and animals living in that place, as well as the entire ecosystem.

b. Relative Humidity- Relative humidity has impact on both plants and animals.
It affects the plants and animals ability to cool themselves through evaporation.
The water taken by the plants is used in photosynthesis, however, most of it is
used in transpiration, that is, the roots takes in the water and the water evaporates
through the leaves into the air by which this process cools the plants. The relative
humidity in the air affects the flow of water through the plant as the higher the
relative humidity is, the slowly the transpiration occurs.

c. pH Level of the Pond- Plants and animals are affected by the pH (potential
hydrogen) of the water for they are all connected to each other. The pH level of
the pond affects the surviving capacity of the organisms living there. The ideal
condition for the fishes and other organisms for them to survive in the water is 7-

9, if the pH level drops to 6 and below, bass, tadpoles and trout begin to die, and if
it drops to 3 all if the fishes and all the other organisms will die. Likewise, if the
pH level rises to 9.8-10 all of the fishes and other organisms will certainly die.
The pH level changes due to the minerals and other elements present in the water
and if it the mineral content is abundant or constantly rises or drops the fishes and
organisms will die and will also cause eutrofication- abundant quantity of algae,
which partakes most of the nutrients in the water leaving nothing for all the other
fishes.

2. What factors affect the physical factors that you have studied?
There are certain factors that affect the physical factors in the environment. In the
case of the water temperature, it is affected by the environments condition whether it is
in a sunny place or covered area or in an open area where it can be affected by other
factors. It is also affected by the type weather and climate of the place, if it is a wet or dry
season, sunny or rainy and windy or humid. Temperature describes the kinetic energy, or
energy of motion, of the gases that make up air. The amount and strength of the sunlight
hitting the earth, and atmospheric conditions, such as cloud cover and humidity, which

trap heat are factors affecting the water temperature. The pH level of the water directly
affects the solubility of elements. At acidic pH, aluminium becomes more soluble and
hence more available to the organisms with increased toxicity. Essential minerals can
become unavailable at extremes of pH. For example, phosphorous and managanese
become increasingly unavailable at high pH values. A higher pH level in the water,
impacts its quality for instance if the pH level drops to 6 and below, nitrification bacteria
will begin to die and eventually kill the fishes. The factors affecting the pH level of the
water are acid rain, water pollution and eutrofication.
Relative humidity is the ratio between the actual amount of water vapour held in
the atmosphere compared to the amount that the air can hold at a given temperature.
There are two important factors affecting the relative humidity. First is the moisture
availability. For example, the air above a body of water usually has more moisture than
air of similar temperature over land, because more water is available for evaporation. If
the amount of water vapour in the air increases, relative humidity increases, and if the
amount of water vapour decreases, relative humidity also decreases. Second factor is the
temperature. There is a significant change in the relative humidity when the temperature
changes even when the actual amount of water vapour in the air stays the same. As the
temperature goes down, the relative humidity increases, and as it goes up or increases, the
relative humidity decreases.

Conclusion:

In conclusion of this study, I learned that the physical factors in the environment
drastically affects the organisms living in that area. When the group saw the pond itself
we cannot believe our eyes that there were actually plants in there, because from a far it
just looked like a paddle of stagnant water. And unbelievable the water quality is still
optimum for fishes and other organisms to live in there because the average pH level of
the pond is 9.4, and its temperature is fine. And when the group observed the water in the
pond through the microscope we discovered a lot of different types of algae, planktons
and other living organisms that cannot be seen through the naked eye. In conclusion, this
study proves that if the pH level of the water ranges 7-9 fishes and other organisms are
still able to survive in that kind of environment.
-JARDIO, CZARINA MAE
The pond's ecosystem is formed from the plants, animals, microorganisms, and a
surrounding environment where they are all connected to each other which made them
dependent on each other in order to survive. The temperature, relative humidity, and pH
level of the pond affects them all and those are the results of all the activities happening
outside the pond. Its pH level is 9 which is tolerable for animals because it could still
provide the necessary nutrients needed by them though there are no fishes living in the
pond but there are many microorganisms we saw in the microscope. Using the pH meter
is very accurate for it provides the exact level unlike the pH paper. The microorganisms
are very interesting for when you just look at them, they just look like a dot but when you

put them in the slide and put that slide in the microscope, adjust the mirror to get more
light, you could see them moving. What we do here, affects those under water
-DICHOSO, MITCH FAWLEY
*Everyone and everything such as plants and animals in the world are affected by the
Earths ecosystems and the services they provide, such as the temperature of the air and
soil, the relative humidity of the air and pH of the soil. While doing the terrestrial study
one would be able to examine how these ecosystem characteristics really do interact with
each other and see how one factor can affect another factor in the ecosystem. Organisms
within ecosystems are dependent on ecosystem level biological and physical processes
and ecosystems closely interact and often are interdependent for maintenance of
community structure and functional processes that maintain productivity and biodiversity.
-

ESTACIO, JASMINE VERA

*Terrestrial Study would let anyone know how every factors in the Ecosystem are
connected to each other, how each factor can affect to another factor, and how these
factors are very important to the whole Ecosystem which is us and everything here in the
world. Doing this study will give us more knowledge about the biggest to tiniest
information about our Ecosystem which will make us to be aware of our surrounding or
our Ecosystem.
- TORRES, NICOLE ANNE W.

While doing the pond ecosystem study, we were able to witness the temperature in a
pond changes with the air temperature and is relatively uniform and it speak of to fresh
water ecosystem where there are groups of organism dependent on to each other by
means of the prevailing water environment for their nutrients and existence. In getting the
temperature of soil, air, relative humidity, pH of the soil, we were able to detect for each
of the following factors affects the growth of organisms and the interaction of the living
things, non-living things, and their environment. Where living and non-living things work
together with the atmosphere, temperature and water in order to reproduce and
regenerate. It provides us details to well appreciate creatures around us which may assist
us to develop our environment, protect the health of everyone, and manage our natural
resources.
-DE VEYRA, YVETTE
*The earths ecosystems are composed of the living, such as plants and animals,
and the nonliving components, such as the physical and chemical factors, wherein these
components are associated and linked to one another. The interrelationship can be seen
not only in the relationship among the living elements of an ecosystem but also in the
relationship of these living elements with the nonliving elements, as well as in the
relationship of the nonliving elements with one another. If biotic factors are linked
closely, in the abiotic factors, what affects one, also affects the other. The physical factors
of the abiotic components have a connected relationship with one another in a way that a
physical factor becomes a factor of another physical factor, that is, a factor affects another

factor, which subsequently will affect and influence people, plants, animals and other
biotic factors. These elements of the ecosystems are interdependent to one another in
order for the living organisms to survive and for the entire ecosystem to function.
-

FABROS, RICA MAE