Eutrophic ponds are relatively rich in nutrients; generally more nutrient rich than oligotrophic ponds; they have high concentrations of plant nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, and support high plant productivity.
There are a few thousand occurrences statewide. Very many occurrences are presumed to have good viability and are protected on public land or private conservation land. This community has statewide distribution, and includes several large, high quality examples. The current trend of this community is probably stable for occurrences on protected land, or declining slightly elsewhere due to moderate threats related to development pressure, invasive aquatic species, and alteration to the natural hydrology.
The numbers and acreage of eutrophic ponds in New York have probably remained stable in recent decades as a result of wetland protection regulations. However, the condition of some of these ponds may have declined slightly to moderately due to the spread of invasive aquatic species. There may be a few cases of slight decline due to alteration of hydrology (e.g., ditching and impoundments) and reduced water quality from nutrient input from surrounding developed uplands.
The numbers and acreage of eutrophic ponds in New York have probably declined moderately from historical numbers likely correlated to alteration of hydrology (e.g., ditching and impoundments, conversion to farm ponds) and reduced water quality from nutrient input from surrounding developed uplands (e.g., excessive stormwater input, siltation, pollution).
Where practical, maintain or increase the adjacent wetland and upland buffer to reduce storm-water, pollution, and nutrient run-off, while simultaneously capturing sediments before they reach the pond. Buffer width should take into account the erodibility of the surrounding soils, slope steepness, and current land use. If possible, minimize the number and size of impervious surfaces in the surrounding landscape. Avoid habitat alteration within the lake and surrounding landscape. For example, roads should not be routed through the pond shore buffer area. If a pond must be crossed, then bridges and boardwalks are preferred over filling and culverts. Restore ponds that have been affected by unnatural disturbance (e.g., remove obsolete impoundments and ditches in order to restore the natural hydrology). Prevent the spread of invasive exotic species into the pond through appropriate direct management, and by minimizing potential dispersal corridors.
Eutrophic ponds are threatened by development in the surrounding landscape and its associated run-off (e.g., agricultural, residential, roads, railroads, golf courses, campgrounds), recreational overuse (e.g., boating, shoreline camping), and habitat alteration in the adjacent landscape (e.g., excessive land clearing, pollution, nutrient loading). Alteration to the natural hydrology is also a threat to this community (e.g., impoundments, blocked culverts). Eutrophic ponds are threatened by invasive species, such as Eurasian milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum), curly leafed pondweed (Potamogeton crispus), water chestnut (Trapa natans), European frogbit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae), and Brazilian elodea (Egeria densa).
Where practical, establish and maintain a pond shore buffer to reduce storm-water, pollution, and nutrient run-off, while simultaneously capturing sediments before they reach the pond. Buffer width should take into account the erodibility of the surrounding soils, slope steepness, and current land use. If possible, minimize the number and size of impervious surfaces in the surrounding landscape. Avoid habitat alteration within the pond and surrounding landscape. For example, roads should not be routed through the pond shore buffer area. If a pond must be crossed, then bridges and boardwalks are preferred over filling and culverts. Restore ponds that have been affected by unnatural disturbance (e.g., remove obsolete impoundments and ditches in order to restore the natural hydrology). Prevent the spread of invasive exotic species into the pond through appropriate direct management, and by minimizing potential dispersal corridors.
When considering road construction and other development activities minimize actions that will change what water carries and how water travels to this community, both on the surface and underground. Water traveling over-the-ground as run-off usually carries an abundance of silt, clay, and other particulates during (and often after) a construction project. While still suspended in the water, these particulates make it difficult for aquatic animals to find food; after settling to the bottom of the wetland, these particulates bury small plants and animals and alter the natural functions of the community in many other ways. Thus, road construction and development activities near this community type should strive to minimize particulate-laden run-off into this community. Water traveling on the ground or seeping through the ground also carries dissolved minerals and chemicals. Road salt, for example, is becoming an increasing problem both to natural communities and as a contaminant in household wells. Fertilizers, detergents, and other chemicals that increase the nutrient levels in wetlands cause algae blooms and eventually an oxygen-depleted environment where few animals can live. Herbicides and pesticides often travel far from where they are applied and have lasting effects on the quality of the natural community. So, road construction and other development activities should strive to consider: 1. how water moves through the ground, 2. the types of dissolved substances these development activities may release, and 3. how to minimize the potential for these dissolved substances to reach this natural community.
Resurvey known occurrences and survey for occurrences statewide to advance documentation of the current stucture, composition, and condition of eutrophic ponds. Continue searching for ponds in good condition (A- to AB-ranked). Review and incorporate data on occurrences in NY gathered by the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation, the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program, and the New York State Federation of Lake Associations, Inc.
Three to seven ecoregional variants (including Northern Appalachian, Great Lakes, Lower New England types) are suspected to differ in dominant, and characteristic vascular plants, fishes, mollusks, and insects. Flow-through or fluvial pond might be a distinct variant worthy of recognition as a separate community type, but needs further evaluation. Flow-through ponds are closely associated with riverine complexes (e.g., large natural widenings of rivers or large beaver impoundments of river channels), and have a high flushing rate.
This community is widespread throughout New York State, usually at low elevations.
This broadly-defined community may be worldwide. Examples with the greatest biotic affinities to New York occurrences are suspected to span north to southern Canada, west to Minnesota, southwest to Indiana and Tennessee and southeast to North Carolina.
The aquatic community of a small, shallow, nutrient-rich pond. The water is usually green with algae, and the bottom is mucky. Eutrophic ponds are too shallow to remain thermally stratified throughout the summer; they often freeze and become inversely stratified in the winter (coldest water at the surface), therefore they are winter-stratified monomictic ponds. Additional characteristic features of a eutrophic pond include the following: water that is murky, with low transparency (Secchi disk depths typically less than 4 m); water rich in plant nutrients (especially high in phosphorus, nitrogen, and calcium), high primary productivity (inorganic carbon fixed = 75 to 250 g/m2/yr) and a weedy shoreline. Alkalinity is typically high (greater than 12.5 mg/l calcium carbonate).
Species diversity is typically high. Aquatic vegetation is abundant. Littoral, and epilimnion species assemblages usually dominate the community. Characteristic plants include coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum), duckweeds (Lemna minor, L. trisulca), waterweed (Elodea canadensis), pondweeds (Potamogeton spp.), water starwort (Heteranthera dubia), bladderworts (Utricularia spp.), naiad (Najas flexilis), tapegrass or wild celery (Vallisneria americana), algae (Cladophora spp.), common yellow pond-lily (Nuphar variegata), and white water-lily (Nymphaea odorata). Characteristic fishes are usually warmwater fishes. Characteristic macroinvertebrates may include several types of odonates (Aeshna spp., Ischnura spp., Gomphus spp., and Basiaeschna spp.), and leeches (Hirudinae). Characteristic, and dominant plankton may include the phytoplankton Chrysosphaerella longispina, and Ceratium spp., and the zooplankton, including various nauplii (crustacean larvae), rotifers such as Keratella, cyclopoids, and cladocerans.
Known examples of this community have been found at elevations between 860 feet and 1,670 feet.
Small eutrophic ponds can be viewed year round from the shore. Larger ponds are fun to explore in mid- to late summer by canoe when fragrant white water lily and spatter dock are in bloom. Look for frogs on the lily pads, or poking their heads through the duckweed on the surface.
This New York natural community encompasses all or part of the concept of the following International Vegetation Classification (IVC) natural community associations. These are often described at finer resolution than New York's natural communities. The IVC is developed and maintained by NatureServe.
This New York natural community falls into the following ecological system(s). Ecological systems are often described at a coarser resolution than New York's natural communities and tend to represent clusters of associations found in similar environments. The ecological systems project is developed and maintained by NatureServe.
Percent cover
This figure helps visualize the structure and "look" or "feel" of a typical Eutrophic Pond. Each bar represents the amount of "coverage" for all the species growing at that height. Because layers overlap (shrubs may grow under trees, for example), the shaded regions can add up to more than 100%.
Edinger, G. J., D. J. Evans, S. Gebauer, T. G. Howard, D. M. Hunt, and A. M. Olivero (editors). 2014. Ecological Communities of New York State. Second Edition. A revised and expanded edition of Carol Reschke’s Ecological Communities of New York State. New York Natural Heritage Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany, NY. https://www.nynhp.org/ecological-communities/
Gilman, B. A. 1976. Wetland plant communities along the eastern shoreline of Lake Ontario. M.S. thesis, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, New York.
New York Natural Heritage Program. 2023. New York Natural Heritage Program Databases. Albany, NY.
Nichols, W. F. 2015. Natural Freshwater Lakes and Ponds in New Hampshire: Draft Classification. NH Natural Heritage Bureau, Concord, NH.
Olivero-Sheldon, A. and M.G. Anderson. 2016. Northeast Lake and Pond Classification. The Nature Conservancy, Eastern Conservation Science, Eastern Regional Office. Boston, MA.
Reschke, Carol. 1990. Ecological communities of New York State. New York Natural Heritage Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Latham, NY. 96 pp. plus xi.
This guide was authored by: Gregory J. Edinger
Information for this guide was last updated on: August 13, 2021
Please cite this page as:
New York Natural Heritage Program. 2023.
Online Conservation Guide for
Eutrophic pond.
Available from: https://guides.nynhp.org/eutrophic-pond/.
Accessed September 23, 2023.