Animals
The animals of a lakes and ponds biome contributes greatly to the maintenance of homeostasis. Animals can be broken up into a few categories. The first category of animals is the primary consumers. A primary consumer is an animal that eats plants or a herbivore. This would include small fish which feed on algae and kelp and small turtles which also feed on kelp. Then there are the secondary consumers. These consumers are also known as meat eaters or carnivores. This would include snapping and other large turtles, herons and other large birds, sharks, large fish, otters, beavers, frogs, salamanders, etc. The final category of animals is tertiary consumers. These are carnivores that eat other carnivores. This would include sharks, large fish, and snapping turtles. Animals that live in still lakes and ponds thrive. However, the size of the lake effects the amount and size of the organisms that the lake or pond supports. Some animals prefer different or varying temperatures. Some prefer warm and moist lake while others prefer cold and frozen lakes (assuming that the lake isn't frozen all the way through). Animals keep the ecosystem in balance through the food chain and how the ecosystem supports them.