Pond Vocabulary Words and Meanings.pdf

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Pond Vocabulary Words and Meanings

Adapt: to adjust to a use or situation

Aquatic : from or in the water

Bacteria : tiny organisms, too small to be seen with the naked eye

Carnivore: an animal that eats other animals

Conserve: to protect habitats and wildlife; plants and animals

Gill: an opening on the site of a fish’s head through which it breathes

Habitat: the place where an animal or plant lives; their environment

Herbivore : an animal that eats only plants

Larva : a young insect that has hatched from an egg, which then grows and

turns into an adult

Life cycle : the changes an animal or plant goes through from birth to death

Mammal : an animal with hair that feeds it young with milk from the mother

Marsh: wet ground near a lake or river; swamp

Microscopic: too small to see with the naked eye, but visible with a

microscope

Pond: a small pool of water, often with many different types of animals and

plants

Predator: any animal that lives by hunting and catching other animals for food

Prey: animals that are killed by other animals for food

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Pond Information

A pond can be divided into 3 areas.

1. Open Water (the surface center of the pond)

2. Muddy Bottom (in the pond, under the water)

3. Shallows (at the edge of the pond)

The surface of the pond is covered by:

1. floating plants

2. large water lily leaves

3. insects

4. small birds that run across the leaves

5. microscopic plants

6. small organisms called plankton

7. algae

8. small animals, hydra, and insect larva

The bottom of the pond is covered with mud.

1. Some animals live on top of the mud

2. Some animals live in the mud and search for food.

The shallow part of the pond is along the edge. You will find:

1. plant roots

2. frogs, toads, and other small animals looking for food

3. small animals that use the plants along the edge of the pond for

shelter.

Some Pond Animals and Plants

Water Lily

Dragonfly

Vole

Pond Snail

Iris

Kingfisher

Rushes and

Reeds

Frogs and

Toads

Water Beetle Insect Larva

Perch

Tadpoles

Newt

Stickleback

Water Spider

Water Striders

Turtles

Cattails

Pike

Swans

Ducks

Heron

Butterflies

Geese

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Pond Life: The Surface

The life on the surface of the pond gets a lot of sun. Plants

need plenty of sun to grow. The water lily has broad leaves that are

on the surface of the pond. It gathers energy from the sun. The roots

of the water lily hang down into the deeper water of the pond.

Many animals live on the surface of the pond. Water striders,

water spiders, and beetles move easily across the top of the water

because they are so light. Many insects are on the surface of the

water, too. Some live in the water and come to the surface to get air.

Plankton grows in the water and is used as food by many animals.

1. The surface of the pond

a. has many earthworms.

b. has water spiders moving along the surface.

c. has water lily pads.

d. both b and c.

2. Microscopic means

a. large and easy to see.

b. muddy.

c. small, not visible to the naked eye.

d. aquatic animals.

3. Many animals get their food from

a. the sun.

b. plankton.

c. air.

d. none of the above.

4. The sun

a. helps plants grow.

b. lights the earth.

c. warms the pond.

d. all of the above.

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Pond life: The Muddy Bottom

The bottom of the pond is muddy. Decaying dead leaves and

animals sink to the bottom and form part of the mud. The mud is also

full of fungi and bacteria. They help break down the dead animals

and plants. This process helps provide nutrients for the plants to

grow. The mud can be very deep in places. It is often very bad-

smelling, too. The larvae of many insects crawl on the top of the

mud. They often stay there all day because it protects them from

other animals. Some animals, like ducks and turtles, hunt for food in

the muddy areas. Turtles spend the winter asleep in the mud. The

muddy bottom is an important part of the pond habitat.

1. What helps form the muddy bottom of the pond?

a. deer

b. birds

c. decaying leaves and animals

d. none of the above

2. Fungi and bacteria help

a. turtles sleep through the winter.

b. protect other animals.

c. provide nutrients for plants by breaking down plants.

d. none of the above

3. Larvae

a. live on the surface of the mud.

b. stay in the mud to hide from predators.

c. can be food for other animals.

d. all of the above

4. Turtles

a. stay on the surface of the pond in the winter.

b. sleep in the mud during the winter.

c. don’t do well in ponds.

d. none of the above

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Pond Plants

There are many types of plants that live in the pond habitat. Aquatic

plants contain air. These plants are buoyant . That means they are able to

float on the top of the water. The plants that float on the top of the water get a

lot of light from the sun. The plants get energy and make food from the sun.

This is called photosynthesis. Plants help the pond habitat. They produce an

element called oxygen. Animals need oxygen to live.

There are tiny plants called algae that live in the pond. Sometimes the

whole surface of the pond is covered with a green blanket of algae. Algae float

on the surface.

Some plants, like the cattail, live at the edge of the pond. The cattail has

a big slender head filled with seeds at the top of its long stem. When the outer

cover breaks open, the seeds fly away and plant more cattails along the pond’s

edge.

Plants are an important part of the pond habitat.

1. The process of changing the sun’s energy into food is called

a. algae.

b. habitat.

c. photosynthesis.

d. aquatic.

2. Aquatic means

a. lives in or on water.

b. To change sunlight to food.

c. To float.

d. buoyant.

3. In this article, “green blanket” refers to

a. algae.

b. cattails.

c. muddy bottom.

d. the pond.

4. Habitat means

a. the sun.

b. plants.

c. the place plants and animals live.

d. none of the above

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