what does pond life do in the winter?
i’m writing a story for biology, and it takes place in the fall and the pond is getting ready for winter, so my question(s) are basically these:
What does pond life do in the winter? the ones that live in the water and the ones that live above it.
2 how does pond life prepare?
and i’m talking NATURAL ponds, not man made.
then what do they eat as they live through the winter? if fish eat plants, but there’s not any sunlight because of the cloud cover, depending on where you live, then what do they eat if they can’t eat plants?
July 21st, 2010 at 12:47 pm
google each question
July 21st, 2010 at 1:13 pm
In natural ponds, the pond life living IN the water will continue to live IN the water as only the top couple of inches will freeze and not the whole pond. The water deeper down is always warmer than on the surface that’s why you can sometimes see steam rising from a froze over pond with a few breaks in it. I have no idea about ‘above the pond ‘ life.
Hey Izzy, The other part of your question, well, that’s where God comes in. He made the creatures and He knows how to take care of them!
July 21st, 2010 at 2:13 pm
Sis Ivd is correct about the life that is under the ice (assuming the pond is deep enough and the winter warm enough). On most freshwater standing bodies of water, the top 30-60 cm will freeze (depending on where you live, here in Edmonton, AB that’s what happens). Aquatic life in that part of the water will continue much as it does, since ice actually doesn’t filter out that much light, believe it or not.
Now, as for the rest. Most waterfowl migrate (geese, ducks) and some of the other creatures do as well. Snails and most amphibians will lay their eggs just before the freeze and then die, and the eggs hatch the next spring. Some creatures, however, go into a sort of suspended animation and can actually survive being frozen solid all winter. There are several species of frogs that do this and a few small lizards.
July 21st, 2010 at 2:36 pm
The fish in my pond stops eating when it gets below 60 degrees F. They are not burning energy, therefore do not need to eat. The frogs bury in the mud and hibernate until it warms up again. Most creatures go into a a state of inactivity, since they are cold blooded. Turtles can stay suspended in the mud for the whole winter without eating. Plant eating fish like carp, go inactive and do not require much fuel to keep going. They mostly live on stored fat reserves. I would not put a distinction between man made and natural ponds. They both perform the same function.