Wetlands-what do we need to
know
 What are wetlands and types of wetlands
 Functions of wetlands
 How do wetlands help?
 Destruction of wetlands
 Efforts to conserve the wetlands
What are wetlands
 An area of land that is covered with a shallow
layer of water during some or all of the year.
 Known as ‘transition zones’-neither totally dry
land nor totally underwater. They have
characteristics of both.
 Contains soil saturated by water (hydric soil)
 Habitat for many aquatic and terrestrial
species.
 Some found only in wetlands.
What are Wetlands?
areas between
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXZqP-PYOrc
water and land
Formation of wetlands
 Driven by location.
 Sediment deposited along river.
 Sediment deposited at the mouth of the
river.
 Sediment fills in aging lakes
Types of wetlands
 There are THREE major types of wetlands.
 Marshes
 Bogs
 Swamps
Marshes
•areas where the soil is periodically or
permanently flooded with water.
•dominated by soft stemmed grasses
•have shallow water.
Marsh plants
Cattails
Bur weed
Rushes
Water lily
Bogs
• Little or no drainage
• Associated with evergreens
• Usually found in areas with short growing seasons
and lower temperatures.
• pH less than 5 (acidic) and mosses thrive here
Swamps
•
Dominated by trees and shrubs
(woody plants)
•
often occur along river
floodplains, subtropical to
tropical coasts and in quiet
lakes.
•
inhabited by an abundant
variety of animals
Functions of wetlands
• Improves water quality• Plants act as natural water treatment
areas, filtering pollutants
• Reduces flood and storm damage
• Regulates water levels in watersheds
• Provides wild life habitats
Functions of wetlands
continued
• support more wildlife and plants than any other
kind of habitat.
• Provide nesting and feeding grounds for both
resident and migratory birds.
Destruction of Wetlands
• Some wetlands continue to exist but are degraded by the effects of
fertilizers, pesticides, and oil runoff.
• Intrusion of nonnative species
• Draining wetlands for agricultural purposes and mosquito control
• Pollution from landfills
• Removal of vegetation
The Disappearing Wetlands
Comparison of disappearing wetland in the
Mississippi delta from 1839- 1993- project loss
of wetland in 2020