Given below are two statements:
Statement I: In a pond ecosystem, the decomposers, namely fungi, bacteria and flagellates, are especially abundant at the surface of the pond.
Statement II: In a pond ecosystem, the solar input, the cycle of temperature, day-length and other climatic conditions regulate the rate of function of the entire pond.
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Statement I is incorrect but Statement II is correct.
A pond is a small, fairly self-sustaining ecosystem. Its abiotic part is the water, the dissolved substances and the rich soil deposit at the bottom. The dead matter settles on this bottom, so that is where the decomposers gather.
Statement I: In a pond ecosystem, the decomposers, namely fungi, bacteria and flagellates, are especially abundant at the surface of the pond. — False. The decomposers are especially abundant at the bottom of the pond, where detritus collects, not at the surface.
Statement II: In a pond ecosystem, the solar input, the cycle of temperature, day-length and other climatic conditions regulate the rate of function of the entire pond. — True. These physical factors set how fast the whole pond works, from photosynthesis by the phytoplankton to decomposition at the bottom.
NCERT Extract:
Ecosystem – Structure and Function – “… The abiotic component is the water with all the dissolved inorganic and organic substances and the rich soil deposit at the bottom of the pond. The solar input, the cycle of temperature, day-length and other climatic conditions regulate the rate of function of the entire pond. The autotrophic components include the phytoplankton, some algae and the floating, submerged and marginal plants found at the edges. The consumers are represented by the zooplankton, the free swimming and bottom dwelling forms. The decomposers are the fungi, bacteria and flagellates especially abundant in the bottom of the pond.”