Ch 7 - Exploring the Pond Flashcards
What is a community?
A community is a group of plants and animals (or people) that depend on each other to live.
What kind of community is the pond?
a freshwater community
Why do plants grow easily around the pond?
The mud is rich in minerals.
What plants grow in the pond and in the ocean?
algae
What does it mean to make comparisons?
to observe similarities and differences
What can you see if you look at pond water under a microscope?
tiny animals that live in pond water
What is the name for the tiny animals that live in pond water that you can’t see without a microscope?
protozoans
What is dissolved in the water that fish need to breathe?
oxygen
What gas do plants need?
carbon dioxide
How do the fish and the plants of the pond help each other?
Fish exhale carbon dioxide, which is used by the plants. Plants give off oxygen, which is used by the fish.
What makes the tiny bubbles found in water?
oxygen
What is the first stage of growth for an amphibian?
egg
Where is the egg laid?
in the water, attached to a water plant
What is the second stage of growth, after the egg hatches?
tadpole
Where does the tadpole live?
in the water
How is the tadpole able to get the oxygen it needs to live?
It has gills.
When can the tadpole live on land?
when its lungs have formed
What is the salamander tadpole also called?
larva
When is the frog tadpole considered an adult frog?
when it loses its tail
What can the salamander do if it loses its tail or leg?
grow a new one
Why must the salamander live in a moist, shady place?
It receives the water it needs to live through its skin.
Do all birds build their nests in trees?
No
How are most snakes born?
They hatch from eggs.
How are water snakes born?
They are born alive.
Why is the water moccasin often called “cottonmouth”?
Its mouth is white like cotton.
Will most water snakes bite?
Yes
Are all water snakes dangerous?
No
In what three ways are a pond and an ocean different?
The pond is freshwater; the ocean is salt water.
The pond is usuallys still; the ocean is always moving.
The pond grows pondweed; the ocean grows seaweed.
All amphibians are cold-blooded. What does this mean?
Their bodies become the same temperature as their surroundings.
Why is it good that turtles eat many young frogs and fish?
There would be too many frogs and fish if the turtles didn’t eat them. It keeps the number of animals in the right balance.
What holds a water strider on top of the water?
surface film (or surface tension)
A minnow is what class of vertebrate?
a fish
A bittern is what class of vertebrate?
a bird
A muskrat is what class of vertebrate?
a mammal
Name two amphibians of the pond.
frog
salamander
Name two reptiles of the pond.
turtle
water snake (eg water moccasin)
Name some invertebrates of the pond.
dragonflies
mosquitoes
damselflies
water striders
water boatman
