Case Studies

• Ponds are freshwater ecosystems found throughout the UK that host a variety of freshwater species.
• Freshwater ponds are interesting ecosystems as they are under influence from a variety of different abiotic (non-living) components.
• Factors such as light, water and oxygen availability change in a relatively small area, like from the edge of the pond to the bottom.
• This creates a diverse ecosystem with different biotic (living) components adapted to varying environmental conditions.
• Freshwater pond ecosystems consist of different organisms that produce and transfer energy through the system.
• Producers are organisms that convert energy from the environment (mainly sunlight) into sugars (glucose).
• Algae and microscopic plants are examples of producers in the freshwater pond ecosystem.
• Consumers are organisms that receive energy from consuming (i.e. eating) living organisms.
• Consumers may eat producers, and receive energy from the sugars made by producers (e.g. midge larvae eat algae).
• Some consumers receive energy by eating other consumers (e.g. a fish may eat midge larvae - another consumer).
• Primary consumers are organisms that eat producers.
• Secondary consumers are organisms that eat primary consumers.
• Decomposers break down organic material (e.g. dead plants and animals or faeces) and release the nutrients from this organic material into the soil.
• These nutrients are absorbed by plants when they grow.
• Bacteria, worms and maggots are examples of decomposers in a freshwater pond.
• Within a freshwater pond ecosystem, producers, consumers and decomposers interact with each other.
• These interactions can be demonstrated with food chains or food webs.
• A food chain shows how producers and consumers interact within the ecosystem.
• Food chains are usually depicted in a straight line, starting with the producer and ending with the last consumer in the chain.
• The complex relationships between producers and consumers in a freshwater pond can be demonstrated by food webs like the one below.
• The freshwater pond ecosystem is delicately balanced.
• The biotic and abiotic components of the ecosystem are interrelated, meaning they influence and are connected to each other.
• Nutrients are substances that fuel plant and animal growth, such as nitrates and phosphates.
• In a freshwater pond ecosystem, nutrients come from different sources: rocks and minerals (e.g. phosphorus containing rocks) break down by weathering, which releases nutrients into the soils; chemicals in the atmosphere can be washed out within precipitation; special bacteria can absorb chemicals from the air and store them in soil.
• Nutrients are transferred throughout the ecosystem in different ways: animals and plants die, and decomposers break up their organic matter into nutrients, which are put back into the soil.
• Svalbard is a Norwegian territory located between Norway and the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean.
• Svalbard is one of the most northerly groups of islands in the world that is inhabited, with a population of around 2,700.
• Svalbard is classed as a cold environment; temperatures rarely exceed 10°C, even in summer, and can fall below -20°C in winter.
• Summer temperatures average 3 to 7°C and winter temperatures average −13 to −20°C.
• Glaciers cover around 60% of the land, and barren rock or tundra is the terrain elsewhere.
• The extremely cold climate means trees cannot grow in Svalbard, and there is also no arable farming.
• Svalbard is located between Norway and the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean.
• Svalbard is classified as a cold environment; temperatures rarely exceed 10°C, even in summer, and can fall below -20°C in winter.
• The warming climate in Svalbard is causing more issues, with 10% of Longyearbyen’s population having been forced to evacuate due to the risk of avalanches, and many areas now unsafe to live in.
• The ground in Svalbard is mainly permafrost, which is permanently frozen ground, and the warming climate in Svalbard has caused the permafrost to thaw, making the ground unstable and causing houses to sag into the ground and become damaged.
• The Northern Lights in Svalbard are a sight to behold.
• Extreme temperatures in Svalbard bring many challenges to development, with winter temperatures frequently falling below -20°C and daylight hours being very short in winter.
• Accessibility in Svalbard is further limited by the lack of roads, with only 50km of road in Longyearbyen and no other communities connected by roads in the whole of Svalbard.
• The provision of infrastructure and buildings in the cold environment of Svalbard presents many challenges, with construction, maintaining buildings, and providing utilities like heating and water all creating unique issues.
• Providing utilities in Svalbard is a challenge due to the extreme climate, with all pipes raised above the ground to prevent freezing and water heated before it enters homes to stop water freezing.