4. Producers Producers in a pond food web are organisms that through photosynthesis, manufacture their own food from sunlight. Examples range from microscopic phytoplankton to large plants like cattails.
5. Primary Consumers Primary consumers, essentially herbivores, are organisms that feed directly upon the producers, examples are tadpoles and crustaceans.
6. Secondary Consumers The secondary consumers in a pond, such as a small fish for example, are organisms that feed upon or consume, the primary consumers.
7. Top Consumers Ecologists often refer to the top consumer group as the apex predators and examples would include the osprey and humans.
8. Decomposers The decomposers, like bacteria and fungi, break down the dead and decaying bodies of any of the other organisms in the pond and recycle their nutrients.
9. Habitats in a pond ecosystem There are mainly four habitats in a pond ecosystem: Shore habitats Surface film habitats Open water habitats Bottom water habitats
10. Shore Habitats Organisms in this habitat vary depending upon whether the shore is rocky, sandy or muddy. In case of rocky shores, plants might not be able to grow Whereas in muddy of sandy shores or mixed type, plants like grasses, algae and rushes can be present along with organisms such as earthworms, protozoa, snails, insects, small fishes and microorganisms
11. Surface film habitats In general, insects like water striders and marsh traders, organisms that are free-floating and those that can walk on the surface of the water inhabit the surface of the pond. They nourish on the floating plants, dead insects, and sometimes, feed upon each other.
12. Open water habitats Inhabited by fishes and the plankton (tiny organisms). Fishes feed on plankton.
13. Bottom water habitats Depending upon whether the pond is shallow or deep, the habitat varies. If a pond is shallow and has sandy bottom, organism like earthworms, snails and insects inhabit the bottom Whereas if the pond is deep and has a muddy bottom, microorganisms, flatworm, rat-tailed maggot mostly inhabit the bottom.
![What is the Food Web for a Pond? ,[object Object]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)