Hello, everyone! Welcome to our biome project blog! We are studying wetlands and it is great that you guys can read our hard work and comment.
Thanks so much for visiting our blog,
Simone and Hanna
Thursday, May 7, 2009
What is a biome?
We are learning about biomes in school. We each got a different biome to study separately. When we were looking up the definition of a biome, we found the best definition, from, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/biome. The definition is, a complex biotic community characterized by distinctive plant and animal species and maintained under the climatic conditions of the region, esp. such a community that has developed to climax.
In other words, a biome is a biotic enviroment, that contains specific animal species and plants. It is also catagorized by region, and the weather that is usually found present in this area.
Of all the biomes in the world, do you think any of them share the same species and/or plants?
Biome Video
In this video we found on www.youtube.com, it talks about all different kinds of biomes out there. As you already know from our previous post, a biome is; a complex biotic community characterized by distinctive plant and animal species and maintained under the climatic conditions of the region, esp. such a community that has developed to climax. So please watch this video, so you could learn more about the different types of biomes.
Definition from: http://dictionary.reference.com/dic?q=biome&search=search
Definition from: http://dictionary.reference.com/dic?q=biome&search=search
What is the wetlands?
Wetlands are areas of standing water that support aquatic plants. Marshes, swamps, and bogs are all considered wetlands. Plant species adapted to the very moist and humid conditions are called hydrophytes. These include pond lilies, cattails, sedges, tamarack, and black spruce. Marsh flora also include such species as cypress and gum. Wetlands have the highest species diversity of all ecosystems. Many species of amphibians, reptiles, birds (such as ducks and waders), and furbearers can be found in the wetlands. Wetlands are not considered freshwater ecosystems as there are some, such as salt marshes, that have high salt concentrations—these support different species of animals, such as shrimp, shellfish, and various grasses.
---http://www.thewildclassroom.com/biomes/wetlands.html---
In other words, wetlands are areas of land with small amounts of water, such as swamps and marshes. They contain many unique animals and plants that thrive in the moist and humid weather. Some plants species that are unique only to wetlands are pond lilies, cattails, grass, sedges, tamarack, black spruce, and a few trees. Wetlands are home to mammals, insects, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. A lot of mostly water animals live here, such as fish, ducks, geese, etc.
Wetlands are pretty much what they seem like... land that is wet. They occur when water gathers on a surface for a long time in some areas where there is a lot of rain. In drier areas, wetlands recieve water from underground springs and sometimes rainy storms. Mostly, wetlands are found in areas where soil and rocks hold water. Moreover, they are found where a slope of land is flat and water is held in holes. Water in wetlands can be still or slowly moving.
Some wetlands only exist for some time. They only look like wetlands in wet seasons. In dry seasons, they dry out and are not considered wetlands. There are 2 main types of wetlands: inland wetlands and coastal wetlands.
Inland wetlands are found by rivers, streams, and lakes. They include marshes, flood planes, and swamps. Fun fact: 97% of wetlands in the U.S are inland.
Coastal wetlands are found around calm, protected shores. They include mud flats, lagoons, salt marshes, and mangrove forests. They are afftected by tides. Fun fact: salt marshes are found in temperate areas of the world, and mangroves are found in tropical areas.
The wetlands have a lot of biodiversity, meaning that it has many different types of biotic creatures living in it.
Most of this information comes from the book "Ecosystems: Wetlands" by Greg Reid and "Life in a Wetland" by Melissa Stewart.
Image from: http://beachwoodhistoricalalliance.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/wetlands-diagram.jpg
Something to think about... In areas with a lot of biodiversity, such as wetlands, do they always recover from every major disaster, or is it possible for there to be something to completely wipe them out?
Eco-Fact of the Day
May 6th: Wetland Builder; In North America, Europe, and Asia, beavers make small wetlands in many forests and smaller areas. They cut down trees with their teeth and build lodges, which dam rivers and streams. Beavers help wetlands provide many animals with a good habitat.
Information from: "Ecosystems: Wetlands" by Greg Reid.
Image from: http://static.open.salon.com/files/beaver1231206221.jpg
What is a real-world example of wetlands?
Africa is made up of only 1% of wetlands. But it has the world's largest wetland. The Sudd, located in the Upper Nile, in Sudan. The Sudd is a huge swamp. It is more than 50,000 square miles of wetlands. It also has a huge population of plants and animals.
During the wet season, the Sudd can be over 50,000 square miles or 130,000 square kilometers. This was formed by the Nile River in southern Sudan. In the Sudd, the river flows through many channels in a pattern that differs every year.
There are three major waterways in the Sudd. The Bahr al Zaraf ("River of the Giraffes"), the Bahr al Ghazal ("River of the Gazelles"), and the Bahr al Jabal ("River of the Mountain").
Information: http://water.wikia.com/wiki/The_Sudd, http://www.123exp-geography.com/t/18624185463/ and "Ecosystems: Wetlands" by Greg Reid.
If Africa only contains 1% of wetlands, but still includes the largest wetland on Earth, imagine the size of the other wetlands in Africa?
What should you find if walking in the wetlands?
If you were to walk through a Coastal Wetland, you would find many things. You would find areas with plants living under the salt water and around it. In tropical areas of this wetland, you would find about 55 different species of mangrove trees. Also, you would find lots of fish, shrimp, crabs and shellfish, and if you are lucky, you might catch a glimpse of a crocodile. You would see birds, such as pelicans and terns, who dive for fish. On land you would see pied oystercatchers, trying to open clams, mussels and shellfish. Ruddy turnstones move small shells and stones, while looking for hidden food.
If you were to walk through a Inland Wetland, you would also find many things. Floating atop the water you would see waterlilies and many toher plants. In the tropical areas you would see, papyruss growing and in temperate areas you would find many different species of sedge and reed plants. Cattails, wild rice and sawgrass are example sof these. In some swamps, there are large trees and shrubs. There are special types of moss found here such as sphagnum. Beavers, muskrats, geese, swamp rabbits and ducks all found in this area. Also in the water you would find eels, file snakes, alligators and crocodiles, as well as frogs. You might find birds and lizards too.
Information: "Ecosystems: Wetlands" by Greg Reid
Photo: http://www.usbr.gov/dataweb/assets/images/Wetlands.jpg
If you would see all these different species of plants and animals, just by walking through a wetland. Imagine how many other species you could find hidden underground?
Eco-fact of the Day!!!!
May 11th: Its roots are planted in the mud underwater while the flowers and leaves on top of the water.
Information from: http://www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/online_field_journal/cp/cpfl/cpfl_13.html
Image from: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Pink_water_lily.jpg
Eco-fact of the Weekend!!!
May 9th/10th: Alligators have transparent third eyelids which give underwater protection.
Information from: http://www.alligatorfur.com/edu/gatorfacts.htm
Image from: http://www.wildanimalfightclub.com/Portals/41405/images//gex-american-alligator_jpg.jpg
Eco-fact of the Day!!
May 8th: 80% of the freshwater we use in the United States is for irrigating crops.
Information from: http://www.westbasin.org/Education/FunFacts/tabid/91/Default.aspx
Image from: http://www.liquidsculpture.com/images/water/water-drop-a.jpg
Eco-Fact of the Day!
May 7th:
The rare western swamp turtle is only found in two small wetlands around Western Australia. There are about 200 of these turtles left. They survive the summer droughts by digging themselves deep into the mud and waiting for winter rains to come.
Information: "Ecosystems: Wetlands" by Greg Reid
One Common Plant in Wetlands
This is a video that shows all the different types of waterlilies.
One plant that is common to a wetland, or any area, in that case... is a floating plant, mostly from the family Nymphaeaceae, such as a waterlily or common water weed. s a premier plant for cultivation in places such as ornamental ponds, and can be found mostly anywhere water is present. Water lilies provide food for fish, wildlife, and insects, as they feed on these plants' leaves, roots, or seeds, but sometimes cause drainage problems because of their rapid growth. They may also contain fruit, which can be nut-like or berry-like. This plants' role in a wetland is to act as food, and to provide pollen for bees to spread, to help the growth of the wetland. A number of insects, such as aphids, have been observed feeding on and impacting water lilies. The fragrant water lily and its hybrids is an extremely popular water garden plant and can be readily obtained at nurseries and through mail order catalogs. Because of its great beauty, northwest property owners have introduced this non-native plant into many lakes; often by transplanting plants from one lake into another. This plant has adapted to wetlands, after many years, by making their leaves able to float atop water, unlike regular land plants.
How do you think the water lily has changed its leaves to make them float on water; is it possible to actually decrease its density of the leaves, or do you think the plant has changed its leaves some other way?
How do you think the water lily has changed its leaves to make them float on water; is it possible to actually decrease its density of the leaves, or do you think the plant has changed its leaves some other way?
Information: (http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/plants/weeds/lily.html), (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/637120/water-lily), and (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphaeaceae#As_invasive_species)
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A87Itdf0aU
One Rare Plant in Wetlands
One rare plant found in drier wetlands is... the bulrush, specifically the Alkaline Bulrush. This plant provides food, cover, nesting, and shelter for ducks and other water creatures in wetlands. The seeds of this plant are eaten mostly by ducks and birds, while other organisms eat their rhizomes and baby shoots. There are several species of bulrushes, including the Alkaline. Bulrushes are perennial grass-like plants and can grow to 10 feet tall in shallow water or in moist soils. Flowers usually occur just below the tip of the stem. Bulrushes have not adapted much to these circumstances; over the many years they have existed, they mostly have not changed a lot, since their conditions are pretty good.
If this plant is eaten so often, why do you think it is still very abundant in wetlands; and it has not vanished completely?
Information: (http://www.uen.org/utahlink/tours/tourImage.cgi?image_id=1207&tour_id=1006&category_id=1010), and (http://aquaplant.tamu.edu/database/emergent_plants/bulrush.htm)
If this plant is eaten so often, why do you think it is still very abundant in wetlands; and it has not vanished completely?
Information: (http://www.uen.org/utahlink/tours/tourImage.cgi?image_id=1207&tour_id=1006&category_id=1010), and (http://aquaplant.tamu.edu/database/emergent_plants/bulrush.htm)
Siamese Fightingfish
Betta splendens are Siamese Fighting fish. They are non-threatened fishes, that are found in Thailand. They eat small invertebrate. The males that are held and bred in captivity are blue, green, or red. While the females are yellowish-brown. In the wild, the males are brown or green. The males are well known for their aggressive behavior. Males are held in captivity for staged fights between one another. But in the wild they usually fight over dominance and or territory. The fights are usually more of threats than actually fighting. They like to live in poor oxygenated water. They grow to be 2 1/4 inches.
Their role in the wetlands are quite similar to others, that they are consumers, eating others and being eaten. They belong in a food chain and the food chain is very important to the biome.
They have adapted to being able to breath oxygen in the poor oxygenated spots. They have auxiliary breathing organs which is located in the gill chambers.
Information: http://www.mbgnet.net/fresh/wetlands/animals/index.htm
This video shows two siamese fighting fishes attacking each other.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqfbKoXl-8c&feature=related
If the males fight each other, do you think they ever accidentaly fight females?Walking Catfish
The Clarias batrachus, aka the Walking Catfish, is found in wetlands. They eat aquatic invertebrate and fish. Also they aren't endangered, meaning they are in no danger of being extinct. They grow to be one foot long. The Walking Catfish is able to "walk" on land and breath air. They have specialized breathing organs, which allow them to do so. They are scaleless, meaning they have no scales. They have mucus on their outer skin, which protects them when out of the water. Their role in the biome, is simply a consumer and mover. They consume the food and are consumed by bigger and stronger predators. Also they are a mover, because they relocate when water is dried up. They have adapted to wetlands, because when a wet spot dries up, they get out of the water and move in snake like motions to get to a new piece of wetland. If they can't find one right away, they dig a hole and go in and stay there until the rain season begins.
Information: http://www.mbgnet.net/fresh/wetlands/animals/index.htm
The video shown above, shows two Walking Catfish "walking".
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNHbUn0k7BI
Do you think when the Walking Catfish first lived in the wetlands, they could "walk"?
Video!
This is a video that explains the essence/purpose of wetlands, and all the different types of wetlands, and how they look in different seasons. It really captures the calmness and of this area. Wetlands really are a beautiful area, and very beneficial to our Earth. That is why we must protect the wetlands; they are endangered, and almost becoming extinct!
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRzLVj9p4Bs
Geographical Regions Where Wetlands are Found
The regions that wetlands are located can be found anywhere, but must contain some type of water. The world’s major wetlands are located in southern Africa, North America, central South America, Asia, and Australia. The largest wetlands in the world are the bogs of the Siberian lowlands in Russia. They cover 600,000 spuare km. That’s three times the size of Great Britain. All the world’s wetlands, even the large Siberian bogs, are endangered environments. Wetlands are found in nearly every region of the world, so there is not just one, specific region where they thrive. Types of wetlands include swamps, bogs, marshes, estuaries, and fens. In different areas, they may have different local names. Bogs are located in colder, temperate climates. You’ll find bogs in Finland, northern Germany, Scotland, Denmark, Estonia, and the Falkland Islands. The region with the most wetlands is North America. This area is ideal for wetlands; especially in colder areas up north, such as Alaska, because ice is melting during Global Warming, and causing lots of water. Also, there are a lot of trees, plants, and biotic creatures in areas like the United States, and many rivers, swamps, bogs, etc. which cause a region where wetlands thrive. Mostly, wetlands are found in temperate areas. Tropical areas nearer to the equator do not have many wetlands, because it is mostly dry and very hot, so there is not much water. In addition, polar zones are much to cold, and there is not a lot of sun for creatures and plants to survive. Ice is not the ideal area for plants, like grass or trees to grow, as well.
Do you think we live in a wetland? And is it possible for people to live in wetlands?
Information from: (http://www.globio.org/glossopedia/article.aspx?art_id=4, http://42explore.com/wetland.htm, and
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/The_location_of_the_wetlands)Image from: (http://www.geo.uni-frankfurt.de/ipg/ag/dl/forschung/Global_Water_Modeling/WELAREM1/welarem1.jpg)
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