Montane Wetlands
By
Jacob Wigginton
What is a montane wetland?
• Montane means of mountains
• High altitude pulustrine wetlands with emergent
vegetation
How do montane wetlands compare to prairie potholes?
Similar yet contrasting wetlands
Similarities
•Pulustrine
•Similar in appreance
•Some are created by a similar glacial process
•provide important habitat for water fowl
Differences
•Montane wetlands are typically less disturbed
•Montane wetlands are still dominated by native vegetation
•Montane wetlands almost always have enough rainfall to
acommidate ducks and geese
•They also differ in soil types making the vegetation very
different
•Succession happens much slower in montane wetlands
•Montane wetlands do not have as many high concentrations
of waterfowl
What different types on montane
wetlands are there?
•Intermountain Basin Wetlands
•Beaver ponds
•Glacial Ponds
•Montane Depression Wetlands
•Montane woodland seeps
Intermountain Basin Wetland
•Flat or rolling areas created by tectonic and volcanic action
•Thick underlying layers of alluvial material eroded from the
mountains
•High water tables are recharged in the spring by
impoundments and artesian flow
Plants of intermountain basin wetlands
Monument
Plant
Additional Species
Mint
Arrow Grass
Black greesewood, saltgrasses, wheatgrass, bluegrass, sedges, rushes, sage
brush, rabbit brush
Waterfowl of intermountain basins
Canada Goose
Cinnamon teal
Additional species
•Gadwall, Northern Pintails, American
Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Redhead, and
Lesser Scaulp
Invertebrates of Intermountain basins
Odonate larvae
Freshwater Shrimp
Midges
Diptera
Beaver Ponds
•mid-elevation on gradients less than 15%
•Water levels maintained by percipitation and run off
•Nutrients sinks trapping organic matter and sediments
•Ideal waterfowl breeding area
Waterfowl of beaver ponds
Bufflehead
Barrow’s Goldeneye
Additional species
Gadwalls, ring-necked ducks
Plants of Beaver ponds
Wild Licorice
Alder
Additional Species
Flooded willows, sedges, burreeds
Invertebrates of Beaver Ponds
Gastropods
Dragonflies
Caddisflies
Freshwater shrimp
Glacial Ponds
•Formed either behind moraines or by a glacial process similar
to the prairie potholes
•Only occur in mountains and prairies
•Only water sources are summer percipitation and spring runoff
•Very old wetlands, peat accumulations in some are 7,000 years
old
•Although absence of fish competition allows an abundant
invertebrate population landscape makes it a difficult habitat for
some birds
Waterfowl of glacial ponds
Ring-necked Duck
Gadwall
Additional Species
Bufflehead, Barrow’s Goldeneye
Plants of glacial ponds
Southern Maidenhair fern
scouring rush
Additional species
Pondweeds, watermilfoils, cowlilies
Invertebrates of Glacial Ponds
Caddisfly larvae
Coleoptera
Dragonfly
Misquitos
Montane Depression Wetlands
•Saturated, seasonally and semipermanently flooded
vegetation
•Occur in the eastern U.S.
•Prononced seasonal water fluctuations
•Important breeding habitat for amphibians and
odonates
Plants of montane depression wetlands
3-way sedge
Winter berry
common green
brier
High-bush
Blueberry
Additional Species
Virginia sneezwart, Virginia quillwort, St. John’s
Wart, Robbins’ Spikerush, Black-fruited Spikerush
Trees of montane depression wetlands
Red Maple
Black Gum
Amphibians of montane depression wetlands
Salamander Eggs
Tiger Salamander
Spotted Salamander
Additional species
Jefferson’s salamander, four-toed salamander, marbled
salamander, wood frogs, Upland Chorus frog
Invertebrates of montane depression wetlands
Crayfish
Odonate Larvae
Freshwater shrimp
Montane woodland seeps
•Saturated herbacous wetlands
•Occur in sinkholes or on steep, bouldered slopes at
the site of water discharge
•Western Virginia mountains
•Above 2500 ft.
Plants of montane woodland seeps
watercarpet
marsh blue violet
Oswego-tea
Additional Species
Cut-leaved coneflower, spotted jewelweed,
Rough golden rod, golden rag wart, American
false-hellbore, marsh marigold, bluejoint
reedgrass
white turtle head
Threats to montane wetlands
1. Proposed changes to the Clean Water Act
2. Overgrazing of Elk
3. Invasive Species
Clean Water Act Changes
•Before the Clean water act only a third of the nations waters
were safe and clean
•Now half are clean and safe
•Redefining wetlands to exclude montane wetlands would be
a step in the wrong direction
•Changes would leave Colorado with only fifteen miles of
protected water
Overgrazing by Elk
In the 1960’s a policy
of natural regulation
which has led to an
upsurge in the Elk
population.
This increase in
has caused the
problem of
overgrazing of
riparian
vegetation in the
Rocky Mountain
region
Invasive plant species of montane wetlands
lepidium latifolium
pittosporum_undulatum
Russian olive
Introduce trout
Brook trout
Brown Trout
tadpoles
Threatened, Endangered, or Endemic Species
montane wetlands.
Criteria for selecting wetlands of importance
1. Area that provides habitat for rare or endemic species
2. Area of rich biota
3. Area which provides habitat for considerable numbers of a
specific species
4. Area that is indespensible in the life history of an organism