A pond or lake ecosystem contains biotic (living) plants, animals, and microorganisms, as well as abiotic (nonliving) physical and chemical interactions.
Lentic habitats are best represented by pond and lake ecosystems. From the Latin lentus, which means slow, lenttic refers to motionless or generally calm water.
Sunlight, nutrients, dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, colour, and turbidity are examples of non-living or abiotic variables (i.e., water clarity).
These features, when combined, not only identify one pond from another, but also have a direct impact on the pond's output.