Ecology Project Osta Food Web 20 Organisms and Analyses May 2008May 15, 2008 Honors Biology Egological Analysis Project “Why My Pool is a Complex Ecosystem” An coosystem is delined as “a natural unit consisting of all plants, animals and micro-organisms in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical factors of the environment, Complex ecosystems have specific characteristics regarding their populations, interactions between organisms, as well as structures in the environment. My pool is a complex ecosystem because of the intricate relationships between orgianioms, the dense collection of life, and the variety of organisms existing in the pool that aré all present in the pond water. Regarding population ecology, my pool reflects many parts of an ecosystem. First off, many of the organisms reflect the most common form of dispersion by living together in clumps, which is common because of social groups, patchiness, and immobile offspring. For example, in one of my pond samples. I found a group of Rotifers clustered together. Secondly, the survival of the organisms is directly dependent on the limiting factors of the environment, Some of theses include the food supply, pollution, wastes, predation, and struggle for space. In order to increase the actual rate of population growth, | added fish food to my pool to ensure that a large amount of nutrients Was readily available for any of the microorganisms, | immediately saw the resulis of putting in more food as many of the organisms began (o rapidly reproduce, including the explosion of green algae (phylum Chlorophyta) like Hyalotheca and Microspora.+ Inuny pool, the biological div isquite large dueto the quickly increasing number and types of organisms. Each organism has its own niche, the combination of every part of its lifestyle, which ensures the provisions necessary for survival and reproduction, As far as relationships between organisms go, there are a multinde of interactions occurring in my pool. The pool community, the association of interacting popolations of different species living in a particular habitat, is actively involved with several kinds of'interactions. One kind of interaction that I have not witnessed in my pool is a neutral relationship, where neither species directly affects ihe other. However, predation, where one species benefits while the other is harmed, is a common type of interaction in my pool. One example is the relationship between phytoplankton, also known as algae and function as the foundation for aquatic life, and zooplankton. Types of zooplankton such as Rofifers and Copepods teed on the phytoplankton. However, oligochactes. gastropods, and other annelids (in my pool there is Aeolosomu Hemprichi), whic are all examples of bigger invertebrates. are predators to the zooplankton. These forms of predation are what create the food web in my pool, which is a major part of a comples ecosystem. Another part of an ecosystem is the presence of organisms with delensive and/ or offensive mechanisms to protect themselves. One examiple of this is camouflage, which allows organisms to blend in with their surroundings, and Such is the case with the Chae¢onotus, a transparent worm that has adapted its physical appearence in order to be clear, Lastly, my pool follows the general structure ofa complex ecosystem. It ineludes participants that range ftom ail different kinds of consumers, Nassua, a type of ciliate, ingests filamentous algae. falling into the category of'a herbivore, a consumer that only