Ecosystem and Community Structure

Introduction

a. Description of lakes and ponds

I. An overview of how lakes and ponds look like and what size they take in most cases. Lakes and ponds vary in sizes, and the description will ensure to distinguish them from other water bodies. The definition differentiates ponds and lakes and gives a general picture of how the two looks like geologically.

II. How lakes and ponds are formed. Lakes are formed through different processes which eventually determine their geological characteristics. The methods of formation looked at in the paper are deposition, glacial erosion, adjustments in the landmass and human activity (Smith & Smith, 2015). All these results to lakes and ponds that take different features.

b. Why lakes and ponds were chosen as the research topic

I. How lakes and ponds are part of the climate change issue. This more so dwells on how these water bodies are dying away and others shrinking in size.

II. Water pollution as a driver of this topic. The extinction of animal and plant species and how it is related to water pollution. How getting an understanding of this ecosystem will help towards conservation and prevention of water pollution (Brönmark & Hansson, 2002).

III. Examples of lakes that are affected by pollution. The causes of the pollution and how the problems being witnessed emanate from the interaction of the biotic and abiotic factors.

c. Thesis: lakes and ponds have physical and biological factors that are in constant interaction shaping the nature of the aquatic ecosystem.

d. Main points discussed

I. Physical structure of the lakes and ponds

II. Biological structure of the lakes and ponds

III. How the physical and biological structure interact to influence the productivity of lakes and ponds

IV. How factors in the physical environment influence the geological structure and existence of biological features

V. The function of lakes and ponds

VI. How lakes and ponds and develop over time

VII. Mutual relationship between species in lakes and ponds

VIII. Predator-prey relationship between species in the ecosystem

IX. The impact of human activity on lakes and ponds

X. Adaptability of species to human impact

Body

a. Background of the study

I. Environmental issues concerning lakes and ponds; the primary sources of pollution and efforts being made to secure ponds and lakes.

II. The role lakes and ponds play in solving natural problems such as drought and famine

III. Examples of species that are endangered because of pollution of lakes and ponds

IV. The importance of understanding the role of lakes and ponds for governments and individuals

V. Examples of major lakes in the world and the role they have served to the surrounding communities

VI. Environmental laws and policies and how they can influence the state of lakes and ponds

b. Discussion and presentation of main topics

I. The physical structure of lakes:

· Oxygen-oxygen as a composition of lakes and how its presence is influenced by other physical characteristics of the lakes, its importance to the species living in water and how it commonly determines life in the lakes.

· Light-the distribution of light in water depending on the physical structure of the lake, its importance for organisms in water and how its penetration is determined by the occurrence of substances in water (Smith & Smith, 2015).

· Temperature-how temperature determines the distribution of organisms in water and how it keeps varying from one lake to another

· Salinity-the distribution of salinity in lakes and the factors that determine the degree of salinity of the water. How salinity of the lake varies in different months depending on the seasons and amount of rainfall received. The salinity of the water at different points of the lake depending on the flow of the water.

· Soil-the role of erosion in contributing towards the physical composition of water

· Depth-influence on the existence of living organisms by determining the availability of essential physical factors. The influence of depth on the salinity and density of water. The variation of water temperature in different seasons depending on the depth of the water (Mayer, 2008). How temperature variation brings about different layers of water depending on the water depths. How the layers created an impact of dissolving of oxygen during summer.

· Winds-winds emanate from areas of different amounts of pressure, and low or high tides could be created depending on the pressure zone.

· The influence of the surrounding landscape on the physical and mineral composition of the lake

· Feeder rivers and outlets and how they determine the shape of lakes

· Area of maximum turbidity-how this zone is created in the lake as a result of the circulation of water of different salinity and its impact on the living organisms.

II. How physical factors come together to create the ecosystem

· How temperature, salinity, and circulation determine the physical characteristics of water-the three factors result in different layers with different degrees of salinity. Stratification which is as result of the interaction of the three factors determines mineral distribution which is essential to the existence of living organisms.

· Oxygen, light, and depth- the importance of oxygen concentration, the amount of light penetration and depth to the existence of living organisms.

· Salinity and density-how the variation of salinity results to different water density

· Depth and light-how depth and light interact to influence the distribution of living organisms.

III. Biological structure of lakes and ponds

· The biological structure as determined by the depth of water: shallow water near the shores having emergent plants, followed by floating plants at a deeper depth and submerged plants in the deepest sections of water. The different species at these depths are named (Brönmark, 2017).

· Organisms: the presence of organisms supported by emergent and floating plants. Examples of the organisms that feed on the floating and emergent plants

· Fish: how fish are well adapted to live and move between the plants in the water, the factors that determine the existence of fish in water and the ponds and the distribution of different types of fish depending on the nature of the water.

· Phytoplankton: the existence of phytoplankton and the factors promoting growth, the importance of phytoplankton to fishes and other water animals and the factors determining the distribution of the phytoplankton in water

· Zooplankton: water animals that feed on the phytoplankton

IV. How the biological forms come together to form the ecosystem

· Fish and water plants: the existence of water plants which provide food to the fish ensures the existence of fish which are more in areas with huge amounts of food. The importance of plants to the survival of fish.

· Phytoplankton: description of how plankton is crucial for the survival of water animals. The presence of the plankton and how it influences the existence of different species of animals. How number or presence of some species is highly determined by the availability of plankton.

· Emergent and floating plants and community of organisms: the emergent and floating plants ensure the presence of a community of organisms which include insects, protozoans, and snails.

V. Function of lakes and ponds

· The provision of aquatic life: the different living things found in water and how they solely rely on water for survival. The role the lakes and ponds play in ensuring that fish and other water animals and plants are continuously available. The different components of lake and pond water which are essential for the survival of water animals and plants.

VI. How physical and biological structure relate to the productivity of lakes and ponds

· Light: light as a major determinant of the ecosystem productivity, how the presence of light varies depending on the depth of the water, substances in water and intensity of plant cover.

· The different factors affecting light as a factor of productivity

· Availability of aquatic plants: how the presence of water plants is affected by the availability of minerals and how it eventually determines the existence of water animals.

VII. Succession in lakes and ponds

· How the physical and chemical environment affect the animal and plant species existing in the ponds and lakes

· How the multiplication of water plants dues to high nutrient levels results to dead zones

· The accumulation of dead animals in salty water lakes and the subsequent features

· The reproduction of water animals that change the composition of the lakes and ponds

· How the change in the plant species results to change in the animal species in a pond or lake

· The change in the plant structure and how it affects the presence of certain species of water animals that rely on the plants as habitat

· Environmental factors such as climate and geology and how they control the species

VIII. Mutualistic relationship

· Algae and fungi

· Contribution and benefit: algae availing oxygen for organisms and this allow fungi manufacture food for algae (Brönmark, 2017).

IX. Plant-herbivore interaction

· Crustaceans and phytoplankton

· How this interaction benefits the entire community: how the phytoplankton takes in nitrogen nutrients, the crustaceans feed on the plants and make the nutrients available again when they die. This ensures that the cycle of nutrients continues (Wootton, Barber & Wootton, 2006).

X. Magnitude of human impact on lakes and ponds

· The contribution of human activities towards the formation of dead zones and the effect of the dead zones

· The impact of human activities on the composition of the lakes and ponds

· How human activities affect distribution and presence of living organisms and plants in lakes and water

· Lake Erie and Ontario as examples of lakes affected by human activities

· The different human activities and the different ways in which they pollute the water bodies

XI. Whether species and the interactions will adapt to negative human impact

· The lack of the capacity for species to adapt as evidenced by the observable reduction and extinction of species

Conclusion

Summary of how the species in lakes and ponds interact, the role of lakes and ponds and why human beings should engage in conservation of the ecosystem

References

Brönmark, C. (2017). BIOLOGY OF LAKES AND PONDS. [S.l.]: OXFORD UNIV PRESS.

Mayer, C. (2008). Lakes and ponds. Oxford: Heinemann Library.

Smith, T. M., & Smith, R. L. (2015). Elements of Ecology (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Wootton, A., Barber, J., & Wootton, A. (2006). Ponds & lakes. London: Usborne.