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?
I think that it is possible that something could wipe out biodiversity in the wetlands. Something really bad could come and kill everything living. But mostley it will not happen. Usually if something happened biodiversity would take place over time.
ReplyDeleteIlana Period 4/5