Lakes & Ponds

Mrs. Wisher

write everything in yellow

Lakes & Ponds What’s the difference?

Lakes are large bodies of water that are within a land mass

Ponds are within land but smaller than lakes

What Classifies Ponds?Ponds are more shallowSunlight reaches the bottom of pondsPonds have muddy bottoms that support plant growthSome ponds are seasonal

Pond LifeAlgae live in ponds which produce food for other animalsFrogs, small fish, snails and crayfish all live within a pond

Blue-green algae

PondsIn many northern states, ponds will freeze during winter

Fish and plant life can live under frozen water due to the warmer temperatures

Why does only the surface of the pond freeze?

What Classifies Lakes?Lakes are deeper and larger than pondsSunlight does not reach the bottom of lakesThe bottom of lakes are either sand or rocks

Lake FormationLakes can be formed from:

glaciersoxbowvolcanoesreservoirs – for human use

Lake HabitatsClose to shore, lake habitats are like pondsFew organisms live at the bottom of lakes

mostly worms & mollusksLarge bony fish live in the deep waters of a lake

eat what floats to the bottom

Lake TurnoverMost lakes change with the seasonsLake turnover happens in the winter when the warmer water cools and sinks to the bottom causing the water & nutrients to mix

EutrophicationAlgae feed on waste products from other animalsOver time more algae grows and covers a lake in a thick green scum which blocks out sunlightPlants die and the lake is starved of oxygenThe lake becomes shallower and will eventually disappear

WetlandA wetland is a shallow swampy area that can sometimes evaporate during warmer weather

POP QUIZ!!!

1. How was this lake formed?

2. How was this lake formed?

3. What type of lake is this?

4. Name 2 features of a pond.

5. In the winter, is water warmer or cooler at the bottom of a lake?

1. How was this lake formed? GLACIERS!

2. How was this lake formed? Volcano!

3. What type of lake is this? Reservoir!

4. Name 2 features of a pond.

Shallowmuddy bottomssunlight reaches the bottomseasonalplant growth on bottom

5. In the winter, is water warmer or cooler at the bottom of a lake?

WARMER!