ECOLOGY OF A POND The National Curriculum Framework 2005 emphasizes ‘Environment Education should become part of every subject – thru’ wide range of activities involving outdoor project works. ’ Hence we have taken this Project by our students and the details are as follows. Introduction: The aquatic ecosystem holds the largest biodiversity. One such ecosystem with a variety of biodiversity is pond. Ponds have an aquatic environment with remarkable assemblage of diverse types of plants, animals and microbes.
Along with animals there are water hyacinth, lotus, various types of algae, different types of planktons and other submerged, floating or marginal plants found in the pond. All the organisms are interrelated. Some of them are producers, others are secondary or tertiary consumers. Sun is the primary source of energy in a pond ecosystem and depending upon the available amount of sunlight, ecosystem differs in ponds. Objectives: To know the different properties of the pond • To observe the different types of flora and fauna which includes both micro and macro organisms • To study the interrelationships among the different organisms in terms of food chain and food web Methodology: A small pond is found nearby our School in Moorthikuppam village, which is our project spot. Once in a week we visited the pond and collected many a things about the pond. We use to collect water sample from the pond in plastic containers to asses the temperature, PH , microbes that are found in the pond water etc. Apart from this, we have also calculated the breadth and length of the pond, water plants that are present in the pond and near the pond, the animals that are found etc,. We have calculated the total solids present in the water by an experiment. We enquired the elders of this village about the history and the social events that occurred near the pond. We have made a collection of the available animals as specimen in 7% formalin and herbarium of medicinal plants. Conclusion: It was really a boon to the students to knew about their environment especially in the year of ‘Understanding the Planet Earth’.
Their activity will not only help to realize, understand and appreciate the environment but will also definitely help to score more marks in their examinations. Discussion: Instead of vague listening to the lectures of the Teacher and the black board, these types of going out to projects related to their curriculum will ease the interests of the students towards their studies. As a Teacher I realized myself and observed the acute interests of the students during the project study. They also discussed themselves and exchanged valuable ideas during their activity.
