Ponds & Wetlands

Photos by Greta Burkart
Ponds and wetlands are shallow bodies of water that have rooted vegetation growing in clearly defined zones with particular groups of aquatic invertebrates associated with each zone.  These habitats play important roles within the watershed with respect to nutrient cycling, dispersed water sources, flood attenuation, and habitat for aquatic and terrestrial organisms. 

Riparian trees and shrubs typically grow near shorelines and may overhang the water.  Emergent macrophytes grow closest to shore.  These include plants that are mostly out of the water such as cattails (Typha) and bulrushes (Scirpus) and plants that have floating leaves, such as waterlilies (Nymphaea, Nuphar), pondweed (Potamogeton), and smartweed (Polygonum).  In deeper water, plants that are completely submerged, such as pondweeds (Potamogeton), water-crowfoot (Ranunculus), hornwort (Ceratophyllum), or milfoil (Myriophyllum) dominate.  Aquatic invertebrates specialize in living in all of these unique micro-habitats.  For example, chironomids (Insecta Diptera Chironomidae), caenid mayflies (Insecta Ephemeroptera Caenidae), and dragonflies (Insecta Odonata Anisoptera) live mostly in silt or plant debris, caddisflies (Insecta Trichoptera) and damselflies (Insecta Odonata Zygoptera) live mainly on plant stems, and many beetles (Insecta Coleoptera) and hemipterans (Insecta Hemiptera) prowl the water surface.  Mosquitos (Insecta Diptera Culicidae) tend to be planktonic and can be found throughout the water column. 
Impacts Livestock grazing, dewatering, filling, pollutants 
Hydrology Discharge regime - Influenced by groundwater and runoff following precipitation events. 
Water Temperatures- May closely match mean daily air temperature in small shallow habitats or may be cooler in summer and warmer in winter if groundwater inputs are substantial. 
Habitat Aquatic vegetation, mineral substrates are typically silty with abundant organic debris.
Aquatic invertebrate sampling equipment kick nets or dip nets, zooplankton nets, corers
Dominant Functional Feeding  Collector-gatherers and predators
Invertebrate assemblage members Coleoptera: Helodidae, Dytiscidae, Gyrinidae, Haliplidae, Hydrophilidae 
Hemiptera: Belostomatidae, Corixidae, Gerridae, Hebridae, Mesoveliidae, Naucoridae, Notonectidae, Saldidae
Diptera: Sciomyzidae, Ceratopogonidae, Chaoboridae, Chironomidae, Culicidae, Dolichopodidae, Ephydridae, Tabanidae, Tipulidae
Ephemeroptera: Baetidae, Caenidae, Siphlonuridae
Trichoptera: Limnephilidae, Leptoceridae, Phryganeidae

Amphipoda: Hyalellidae
Anosraca (fairy shrimp) and Nostoctroca (tadpole shrimp)
Oligochaeta
Hirudinea (leeches)
Mollusca Gastropoda: Physidae, Lymnacidae, Planorbidae
Mollusca Bivalvia: Sphaerium, Pisidium
Turbellaria (flatworms)