Aquatic Life

Underwater plants and plankton make up most of food base in lakes and ponds

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​Plankton - microscopic, free-floating organisms

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1) Phytoplankton: are photosynthetic, producers, grow in sunlight, open water (photic zone) where plants cannot

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2) ​Zooplankton: free-floating, animal-like plankton (water fleas, protozoa)  Make up most of living material in ponds

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Both are important parts of food web​

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Submergent Plants: entirely underwater

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Emergent Plants: parts above water surface

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All plants need water, carbon dioxide, sunlight, and nutrients (phosphorus & nitrogen) to survive​

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Aquatic Plants

Adaptations of Aquatic Plants

Some have waxy/slimy coating to prevent drying out when water levels drop

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Some have porous stems/leaves to absorb nutrients directly from the water

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Some have leaves that float on surface while others float entirely on the surface​

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​Producers - aquatic plants, phytoplankton, and algae

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Consumers - ​

• Zooplankton eat phytoplankton​

• ​Invertebrates and small fish eat plankton

  • Filter feeders - some special fish and mollusks can filter plankton in the open water using specialized mouth and gill parts

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Aquatic Food Chain

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Predators -​ Fish such as largemouth bass and the striped bass rely on the smaller filter feeders for food.

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Scavengers​ - Fish like catfish stay towards the bottom and eat whatever they can find

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Aquatic Food Chain

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Littoral Zone - area from shore outward to where sunlight no longer reaches bottom​

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The band of rooted plants found here have greatest biodiversity of lake/pond ecosystem (transition area)​​

• Provide habitat for fish 

• Help to maintain or improve water quality 

• Shelter for smaller organisms from predators

•  Food source for aquatic insects

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Organisms found here - Algae, plants, snails, amphibians, crustaceans, insects, fish​

​Littoral Zone

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Limnetic zone - open water, light able to penetrate to some depth to support photosynthetic algae (photic zone)

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Photic = area where sunlight reaches

Aphotic = area where sunlight DOESN'T reach​

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​Producers: phytoplankton

Consumers: zooplankton, fish, insects

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Benthic Zone: bottom, dominated by invertebrates: insect larvae (midges, mosquitoes, black flies, etc.) or small crustaceans​

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​Limnetic Zone

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​Aquatic Insects - Feeding Groups

​Scrapers-Grazers: specialized mouthparts to remove algae from surfaces

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Collectors: gather small bits of loose/decaying material, use mouthparts or fine hairs on legs and heads, filter feeders 

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Shredders: mouthparts designed to nibble and grind up plants 

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Omnivores: those that eat both plant and animal 

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Insects also eaten by fish and land animals