m%204/pond.htm m%204/pond.htm Watch the short animation on succession by clicking on the link below. After the animation click the red X in The top right corner to return to the PowerPoint.

I. Succession A. A geological event (glacier or sink hole) can create a pond. B. Pond- shallow hole where water collects and light penetrates to the bottom. C. If left unattended, ponds will fill in with dirt and debris until they become land. It often takes hundreds of years for a pond to be transformed from a body of clear water into soil.

II. The Stages of Pond Succession A. Stage One As a pond develops, seeds are flown in by birds and land animals come to inhabit the pond. These are the pond pioneers. B. Stage Two As more creatures arrive, the debris on the bottom increases. Pondweed and other submergent vegetation appears and begins to grow all along the bottom.

The Four Stages of Pond Succession C. Stage Three Emergents appear on the edges of the pond and grow, die, and decompose which causes layers of debris build up and raise the pond floor.

The Four Stages of Pond Succession D. Stage Four 1. Eventually the pond floor is close enough to the bottom that emergents grow all the way across the floor resulting in a marsh. 2. The marsh continues to fill in with dirt and debris. 3. Trees begin to grow in the water until it is a swamp. 4. Swamp dries up and the former pond is now a forest or grassland.