A Field Guide to the Pond Ecosystem at the Watershed Center

Identification:
Cattails can grow to be 6-8 feet. The narrow leaf cattail has narrow leaves.

Niche:
Cattails spread their seed when the wind blows or they spread by the roots. Cattails grow in freshwater areas. Cattails grow faster than fertilized corn in a field. All parts of a cattails are edible. Cattails produce food for animals. Cattails are producers.

Sources:
www.fcps.edu/.../common_cattail.htm
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Fragrant water lilies are one of the most easily recognized of all the water plants. Large white and sometimes pink many-petaled flowers float on the water's surface surrounded by large, round green leaves. The leaves are often round, cleft at the base, smooth to 25 cm across, often purple on the lower surface, with most of the leaves floating. The white (sometimes pink) fragrant flowers measure up to 25 cm across and have yellow centers surrounded by 25 or more petals. After the flower has finished, the stalk forms a spiral and draws the fruit below the water. The fruit is a capsule 1-2 cm in diameter containing many seeds (2-3 mm long).

info:
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/plants/weeds/aqua005.html less ↑

Identification:
Milfoil is brownish green. It has lots of petals and is found in freshwater. Myriophyllum is its scientific name. “Myrio” means “too many to count” and “phylum” means “leaves”.

Some types of milfoil are native, but others are invasive. If the invasive types get into a large body of water it is a really hard or impossible to get out . Invasive Eurasian milfoil has aggressively invaded lakes and natural waterways in North America. Eurasian milfoil originates from Europe and Asia, but was introduced to North America many years ago and is now found over much of the United States. It is found in North America and Europe. The roots are under the water but it is sometimes found floating on top of the water.

Niche: Milfoil is a producer because animals eat milfoil. Fish eat milfoil and so do insects. This organism provides shelter for small animals like snails and insects.

If it is the invasive kind, It also changes the ecosystem by filling up the area so that no other weeds can get in and grow and if a plant tries to it cuts it out. It also decreases biodiversity because it does not let plant get in.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myriophyllum

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myriophyllum_spicatum http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/plants/weeds/milfoil.html http://www.ehow.com/info_12004017_eats-eurasian-milfoil.html less ↑

Algae is a producer which means it makes its own food from the sunlight. Algae is important because it feeds fish that feed racoons and other smaller animals, which feed the big animals like bears, mountain lions and bobcats. Algae is very interesting. The oceans cover about 71% of the Earth’s surface, yet algae produce more than 71% of the Earth’s oxygen. In fact, some scientists believe that algae produce 87% of the world’s oxygen. They also help remove huge amounts of carbon dioxide.

Sources:
http://www.gotalgae.com/algae_solutions.htm#3

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Identification:

Cattails can grow to be 6-8 feet. The narrow leaf cattail has narrow leaves.

Niche:

Cattails spread their seed when the wind blows or they spread by the roots.Cattails grow in freshwater areas. Cattails grow faster than fertilized corn in a field. All parts of a cattails are edible. Cattails produce food for animals. Cattails are producers.

Sources:

www.fcps.edu/.../common_cattail.htm

The Pond Life less ↑