Skip to content
Zoology Library Logo

Zoology Library

Zoology Library

  • Home
  • Biology
    • Zoology
    • Developmental Biology
    • SEC/VSC Cources
      • SEC Course on Microtechnique
      • Skill Enhancement Course on Haematology
      • Skill Enhancement Course on Urinology
      • SEC on Aquarium Fish Keeping
  • Economic Zoology
  • Fishery Science
  • Conservation
  • Zoo Park & News
  • Toggle search form
  • Indigenous Small Fish Species Characteristic and Importance in India Fishery Science
  • Fish Spoilage: Stages, Factors affecting and prevention Fishery Science
  • New Discovery of Cell Division
    New Discovery of Cell Division Cell Biology
  • Common Diseases in Aquarium Fishes SEC on Aquarium Fish Keeping
  • Theories of Developmental Biology
    Theories of Developmental Biology Developmental Biology
  • Bee Keeping
    Bee keeping industry Recent efforts in India Economic Zoology
  • Edible Freshwater Exotic Fishes: Importance and Identification Characters Fishery Science
  • Hemoglobin Determination Methods Skill Enhancement course on Haematology

Primary Productivity of Ponds (Zooplanktons)

Posted on May 22, 2023August 7, 2024 By Rajkumar Pawar

Primary productivity of ponds: The primary productivity of ponds is in the form of planktons (Phytoplanktons and Zooplanktons). The Plankton are microscopic in nature which are suspended in water, artificial impoundments like ponds, tanks, reservoirs, irrigation channels. Primary producers are of different types like- microplankton, nanoplankton, macroplankton, bloom, phytoplanktons, zooplanktons etc. basically  primary productivity is the food of secondary producers which are important for fisheries or aquaculture. For the fisheries most of the important primary producers are planktons. Among plankton, the zooplankton are the animal component of plankton and form a vital link in aquatic food chains between microscopic photosynthesizing algae and the fish we eat. In this text most of the commonly found zooplanktons and their characteristic as follows – 

Primary Productivity of Ponds (Zooplanktons)

 1. Cyclops

 Classification:

Phylum………….. Arthropoda

Class……………… Crustacea

Sub-class……….. Copepoda

Order……………. Eucopepoda

Genus……………. Cyclops

Primary Productivity of Ponds
Cyclops


Characters:

  1. Cyclops is the most familiar fresh-water copepod, found in ponds, ditches and small water reservoirs, it is also found in brackish water
  2. Body is elongated with a somewhat broad anterior and narrow posterior end.
  3. It measures 1.7 to 5.5 mm in length.
  4. Body is differentiated into cephalothorax and abdomen. The head and first thoracic segment fuse to form cephalothorax, which is covered by carapace.
  5. A median eye is present over carapace.
  6. There are 5 thoracic and 5 abdominal segments.
  7. Fourth abdominal segment bears a caudal style or forked tail and anus dorsally.
  8. Body appendages are uniramous antennules, short antennae, mandibles, maxillulae, maxillipedes and legs.
  9. Mature females carry two lateral ovisacs attached to the upper abdominal segment.
  10. Male Cyclops is easily recognized by the absence of the ovisacs.

2. Daphnia

Classification: 

Phylum…………. Arthropoda

Class…………….. Crustacea

Sub-class………. Branchiopoda

Order…………… Cladocera

Genus…………… Daphnia

Primary Productivity of Ponds
Daphnia


Characters:

  1. Daphnia is a freshwater branchiopod, cosmopolitan and is commonly found in ditches and ponds.
  2. Commonly called a water flea.
  3. Body is bilaterally compressed and enclosed in a vestigial bivalve carapace ending anteriorly into a backwardly directed rostrum and posteriorly into a spine.
  4. Head not separated from the body by a dorsal notch.
  5. Head is rounded and bears large biramous antennae which help in swimming, small unjointed antennules, mandibles, maxillulae, and large sessile eyes are very distinct.
  6. Abdominal appendages are absent and thoracic appendages are 5 pairs and leaf-like.
  7. The Posterior female carries a broad pouch containing various developing embryos.
  8. Brood pouch is found near the back.
  9. In a stained slide heart, nerve to muchal sense organs, gut diverticulum, foregut, mid-gut, hind-gut, anus, sensory setae, shell gland and ovary in females are seen.
  10. Thoracic appendages form efficient food-catching organs. 
  11. Sexes are separate. Brood pouch is absent in male.

 3. Mysis

Classification: 

Phylum………….. Arthropoda

Class……………… Crustacea

Sub-class……….. Malacostraca

Order……………. Mysidacea

Genus……………. Mysis

Primary Productivity of Ponds
Mysis


Characters:

  1. Mysis is a small, transparent, marine, pelagic, shrimp-like and bilaterally compressed Malacostraca.
  2. Mysis is a small crustacean which is transparent and shrimp-like.
  3. Body is bilaterally compressed measuring 2 to 6 mm in length.
  4. Body divisible into head, thorax and abdomen.
  5. Head contains antennae, antennules, and a pair of movable compound eyes.
  6. First pair of thoracic limbs or appendages is modified into maxillipedes and the rest pairs are swimming appendages.
  7. Posterior thoracic region of the female contains a broad pouch. Study of Prepared Slides statocyst
  8. Abdomen contains six segments. First five segments contain swimming appendages or pleopods.
  9. Last abdominal segment contains uropods and telson which are without caudal styles.
  10. Statocyst is present on the endopodite of each uropod.
  11. Development takes place in Brood pouch. Egg hatches into adulthood without any larval stages.

 4. Nauplius Larva

Primary Productivity of Ponds
Nauplius Larva

Characters :

  1. In Crustacea, development includes various larval stages. After cleavage, the egg hatches into the first larva, called Nauplius larva.
  2. It is a free-swimming, minute, conical and microscopic creature with broad anterior and narrow posterior end.
  3. Body is divided into indistinct head, trunk and bilobed anal region.
  4. It contains three pairs of appendages, namely uniramous antennules, biramous antennae and biramous mandibles, which assists in swimming.
  5. It also contains a median eye and gut.
  6. Larva is unsegmented without ventral nerve cord and heart.
  7. Nauplius larva has great phylogenetic significance and is supposed to be an arthropodised trochophore.

 5. Zoaea Larva

Primary Productivity of Ponds
Zoea Larva

Characters :

  1. Zoaea larva is another crustacean larva.
  2. Nauplius, after metanauplius or protozoaea, directly changes into zoaea larva.
  3. Body is differentiated into cephalothorax and abdomen.
  4. Cephalothorax or carapace is produced into the rostrum anteriorly and median spine dorsally.
  5. Head contains large compound eyes, antennules, antennae, mandibles, maxillae and maxillipeds. Thoracic appendages develop as buds. Abdomen has 6 segments. The last segment contains a caudal fork.
  6. Zoaea larva changes to Metazoaea or Megalopa larva.

 6. Megalopa Larva

Primary Productivity of Ponds
Megalopa Larva


Characters:

  1. Megalopa larva develops many adult features and is formed after successive moultings of previous stages.
  2. It considerably resembles the adult stage, composed of broad and median cephalothorax, produced into the median spine and abdomen. ‘Zooplanktons’
  3. Body is crab-like being divisible into the unsegmented cephalothorax and segmented abdomen.
  4. Head contains large pedicellate, compound eyes, antennules and antennae.
  5. Thoracic appendages are 5 pairs of legs, out of which the first is chelate.
  6. Abdominal appendages have biramous pleopods.
  7. After leading pelagic existence, Megalopa transforms to adult prawn.
Fishery Science Tags:Fishery Science

Post navigation

Previous Post: Brackish Water Fisheries: Introduction and Ecological Characteristic
Next Post: Principle Estuaries of Brackishwater

Related Posts

  • Status of fisheries in india: Past Present and Future Fishery Science
  • Preservation of Fishing Crafts and Gears Fishery Science
  • Fish Spoilage: Stages, Factors affecting and prevention Fishery Science
  • Pisces-General Characters and Outline Classification up to order level with Examples Zoology
  • Effects of Aquatic Pollution on Fisheries Fishery Science
  • Tuna Fisheries in India
    Tuna Fisheries in India: Recent Trends Fishery Science
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Categories

  • Biology
  • Cell Biology
  • Conservation
  • Developmental Biology
  • Economic Zoology
  • Fishery Science
  • SEC Course on Microtechnique
  • SEC on Aquarium Fish Keeping
  • SEC/VSC Courses
  • Skill Enhancement course on Haematology
  • Skill Enhancement Course on Urinology
  • Zoo Park & News
  • Zoology
  • Urinary System: Definition, Structure, and Functions Skill Enhancement Course on Urinology
  • Fish Seed Collection Fishery Science
  • Rotary and Rocking Microtome Uses, Precautions and Handeling Biology
  • Bee Keeping Methods and Equipments Economic Zoology
  • Principle Estuaries of Brackishwater Fishery Science
  • vermiculture
    Vermiculture Economic Zoology
  • Freshwater Capture Fisheries Fishery Science
  • Aquatic Ecosystem: An Overview Fishery Science

Categories

  • Biology
  • Cell Biology
  • Conservation
  • Developmental Biology
  • Economic Zoology
  • Fishery Science
  • SEC Course on Microtechnique
  • SEC on Aquarium Fish Keeping
  • SEC/VSC Courses
  • Skill Enhancement course on Haematology
  • Skill Enhancement Course on Urinology
  • Zoo Park & News
  • Zoology

Recent Posts

  • Protochordata: Discovering the Characters and Classification with Examples
  • Ghost Frog Rediscovered After 130 Years
  • Overview of Sport Fisheries in India
  • Food and Feeding of Aquarium Fishes
  • Common Diseases in Aquarium Fishes

Pages

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Copyright © 2025 Zoology Library.

Powered by PressBook News WordPress theme