LIFE IN LAKES AND PONDS

Many creatures that live in a lake or a pond live at the edge of the water, close to the land. The reason for that is because the water near the shores is shallow and there is a lot of healthy food there for them to eat and survive. In the center of the lakes or ponds live very tiny organisms called plankton. There are two types of plankton: Phytoplankton and Zooplankton. Phytoplankton are plants that produce healthy food by going through the process called photosynthesis. Zooplankton are very small animals which eat other planktons as their food. These planktons are first on the food chain because they produce food for the other living things. Many amphibians that live in ponds or lakes are frogs, salamanders and large fish which live in the deep ends. Mammals and birds have their own homes built too on the shorelines near the lakes and ponds. Two examples in British Columbia are beavers and muskrats. Lakes and ponds are very important to the environment because they make the run-off flow to the oceans and rivers. Freshwater environments provide a home for plants and animals and root cleaning the water by their process.