Cattails, bulrushes, and water lilies grow in the pond. These plants have their roots in the bottom of the pond, but they can reach above the surface of the water. This pond is an ideal habitat for the animals that must climb to the surface for oxygen. Aquatic insect larvae are abundant. They serve as food for larger insects, which in turn are food for crayfish, frogs, salamanders, and turtles. Pond B: Plankton growth is rich enough to support animals that entered when the pond was connected to the lake. Fish make nests on the sandy bottom. Mussels crawl over the bottom. Pond C: Decayed bodies of plants and animals form a layer of humus over the bottom of the pond. Chara, branching green algae, covers the humus. Fish that build nests on the bare bottom have been replaced by those that lay their eggs on the Chara. Pond D: The pond is so filled with vegetation that there are no longer any large areas of open water. Instead, the pond is filled with grasses. The water dries up during the summer months. Questions: 1. Write the letters of the ponds in order from the youngest, to the oldest. 2. Black bass and bluegill make their nests on sandy bottoms. In which pond would you find them? 3. What will happen to the black bass and blue gill as the floor of the ponds fills with organic debris? 4. Golden shiner and mud minnows lay their eggs on Chara (green algae). In which pond would you find them? 5. Some amphibians and crayfish can withstand periods of dryness by burying themselves in mud. In which pond(s) would they survive?