Select links below to learn more about invertebrates in the Linnaeus Arboretum ponds in fall 2007
Back swimmer
Buenoa margaritacea
Select links below to view student records of seasonal changes in pond conditions and focal invertebrate densities in fall 2007:
Characterizing the Invertebrate Planktonic Community of Local Ponds
The pond project is an ongoing 
endeavor by the students of the Invertebrate Zoology class at
About the Ponds
The ponds were constructed for storm water collection between 1999 and 2002. The Jim Gilbert pond has an area of ~0.9 acres and the Jones’ pond measures ~2.50 acres. Both ponds are bisected by a riffle (Warren Wunderlich pers. comm.). These ponds collect excess water to help prevent small local floods by increasing and decreasing in size with fluctuating quantities of precipitation. Since the ponds have been constructed, numerous species of plants and animals have come to inhabit them, allowing a local ecosystem to develop naturally. The Jim Gilbert Teaching Pond (pictured left) is the newer of the ponds, and is found alongside the prairie region of 
the arboretum. Due to its central location in the arboretum, this pond has much more human contact which could affect some of its ecological conditions. The Jones Northern Forest Pond, located in the wetlands portion of the arboretum, contains many aquatic and semi-aquatic plant and animal species. The pond also mirrors habitats from over a century ago that existed in this location (GLA, 2006).
Lab Procedure
Students from the Invertebrate Zoology class (Bio 241) described current habitat quality and ecosystem diversity in the campus ponds. They also described seasonal changes of the local population of aquatic invertebrates focusing on a particular (focal) invertebrate. These results can be viewed through the link to the left. Each group collected samples using plankton nets and links to the left display each student group’s focal invertebrate. Previous data is from the basis of a long term research study and over the next several years, the same research program will be applied to the same ponds. In doing this, changes in species diversity and abundance can be observed.
The Value of Long Term Research
Local biological communities reflect past and present ecosystem conditions. Long term studies are used to monitor events that occur gradually over time, help with conservation by identifying potentially harmful physical conditions, and may possibly even help predict up and coming natural occurrences (Turner et al 2003). By maintaining long term research of the campus ponds, current and future students will observe data regarding local ecological changes that they may not have otherwise observed with just their research.
Literature Cited
[GLA] A Guide to
Turner MG, Collins SL,