Stream and Pond Field Trip

 

Frank Rahel

Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 1992, Volume 13

Abstract

Streams and ponds offer good opportunities for comparative studies of biological communities. This exercise describes techniques for sampling aquatic organisms and quantifying habitat features that influence the kinds of organisms found in aquatic habitats. Inexpensive home-made alternatives to commercially-made sampling gear are described. Methods of analyzing community patterns and relating them to abiotic factors are discussed. The comparative approach can be used to contrast various aquatic environments; for example, polluted versus unpolluted streams, ephemeral versus permanent streams, headwater versus downstream reaches, pools versus riffles within a reach, shallow versus deep ponds, or surface versus bottom waters within a stratified lake.

Keywords:  fish, zooplankton, stream, pond, aquatic ecology, benthos

University of Wyoming, Laramie (1991)