Inquiry:Wetlands
B-1.1: Generate Hypothesis based on credible, accurate, and relevant sources of
scientific information.
B-1.6: Evaluate the results of a controlled scientific investigation in terms of whether
they refute or verify the hypothesis.
B-1.9: Use appropriate safety procedures when conducting investigations.
PRE-MacModS (See Hand-out)
There are two different factories that are both near
a river: The first one has a wetland in between the
factory and the river. The second one does not have
a wetland near it.
1. Which river do you think will be more contaminated?
A)
The river located next to the wetland and factory
B)
The river located next to the factory
C)
They will be the same
2. Explain your answer with a diagram. If possible use the
word filter.
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“Runoff Race”
As I am shaking the jar, think about this:
 What are some reasons why muddy water
can be harmful to wildlife?
 Do you think more sediments settle to the
bottom if the water is moving fast or slow?
“Runoff Race”
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Flowing water carries sediments of many
different sizes.
When water is flowing fast, the sediments can be
carried in suspension with the water.
When the water slows down, larger particles can
settle out.
Runoff is the movement of land water to the
oceans, chiefly in the form of rivers, lakes, and
streams.
(http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/h
yd/run.rxml)
What does this have to do with
wetlands?
-Water enters through a stream, goes through the
wetland, and then finally into a lake or larger
body of water.
-Wetlands and their plants can slow the flow of water
by just simply being in the way.
-The Astroturf is our “healthy wetland” with plants
and trees in it and the black surface is a wetland
that has been filled in and paved.
-Watch what happens……
“Runoff Race”
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3.
SO….
Which “wetland” produced the fastest
water flow?
In which wetland would more sediments
settle out?
Which one would have cleaner water
flowing from it?
OH..What is a wetland you ask?
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“Wetlands are areas that are covered by water or have
waterlogged soils for long periods during the growing season.
Plants growing in wetlands are capable of living in saturated
soil conditions for at least part of the growing season. Wetlands
such as swamps and marshes are often obvious, but some
wetlands are not easily recognized, often because they are dry
during part of the year or "they just don't look very wet" from
the roadside.”
There are 4 major classes of wetlands:Marshes,
Swamps,Bogs, and Fens.
http://www.sam.usace.army.mil/PA/regulatory/Wetland.htm
Marshes…
1.
2.
Marshes are periodically saturated,
flooded, or ponded with water and characterized by
herbaceous (non-woody) vegetation adapted to wet soil
conditions. Marshes are further characterized as tidal
marshes and non-tidal marshes.
Tidal (Coastal) Marshes-Influenced by tides and have
salt-tolerant plants. (glasswort and cord grass) Salt
marshes are an example.
Non-Tidal (Inland) Marshes-Occur in poorly drained
depressions, floodplains, and shallow areas along lakes
and rivers. The Florida Everglades are an example.
http://www.epa.gov/wetlands/pdf/types_pr.pdf
Marshes…
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Florida
Everglades
inland marsh
Salt Marsh
Swamps…
SWAMPS are fed primarily by surface water
inputs and are dominated by trees and
shrubs. Swamps occur in either freshwater or
saltwater floodplains. They are characterized by very wet
soils during the growing season and standing water
during certain times of the year
1.
Forested swamps-Receive floodwater from nearby
rivers and streams. Trees include bald cypress, water
tupelo, white oak, and red maple.
2.
Shrub swamps-Similar to forested accept buttonbush
and swamp rose dominate.
3.
Mangrove swamps-Coastal wetlands characterized by
salt-tolerant trees and plants.
http://www.epa.gov/wetlands/pdf/types_pr.pdf
Swamps… Forested
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Swamp
Mangrove Swamp
Bogs…
BOGS are freshwater wetlands characterized
by spongy peat deposits, a growth of evergreen
trees and shrubs, and a floor covered by a
thick carpet of sphagnum moss. These
systems,
whose only water source is rainwater, are
usually found in glaciated areas of the northern
United States. One type of bog, called a
pocosin, is found only in the Southeastern
Coastal Plain.
Bogs…
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Pocosin
Fens…
FENS are ground
water-fed peat forming
Wetlands covered by grasses,sedges,
reeds, and wildflowers. Willow and
birch are also
common. Fens, like bogs, tend to occur in
glaciated areas of the northern United
States.
Fens…
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Did you know that…
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There are approximately 4.5 million acres of
wetlands in South Carolina.
Wetlands cover about 23% of South Carolina’s
total land surface.
South Carolina wetlands constitute about 12% of
the total amount of wetlands in the United States.
South Carolina has lost abut 27% of it’s wetlands
since the middle 1700’s.
(SCDHEC, 2009)
Investigative Question:
What function of a wetland contributes to
the productivity of this ecosystem ?
Hypothesis: If wetlands are one of the most productive
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ecosystems on earth, then
________________________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________________..
Materials:
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Please check that you have the following
materials and raise your hand if you are
missing something:
1.
Clear plastic bottle
½ cup dirt
2 cups of sand
2 cups of large gravel
1 cup of small gravel
1 cup of water
Spoon
Plastic cup
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Modeling a wetland
Lab Procedures:
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Leave the cap on the bottle.
Turn the bottle upside down so that the closed cap is facing down
and add 2 cups of gravel in it.
Now, add 1 cup of smaller gravel on top of the larger gravel.
Pour the sand in. ( Notice it will fill the gaps in the gravel)
Take your cup of water and mix in ½ cup of dirt.
In your science journal make a prediction about what you think the
water will look like after it seeps through and explain why.
Slowly pour your dirt/water mixture in.
Place the bottle over your plastic cup and slowly remove the cap
from the bottle.
Watch as the water seeps in through the sand and gravel.
In your science journals, generate a hypothesis about what part of a
wetland the filter is representing and draw a model that
demonstrates this.
Compare what the water looked like before it passed through the
filter and what it looked like after it passed through the filter.
Let’s Talk…
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What are your ideas about this filter?
How is this filter representative of a
wetland?
What component is the filter representing?
What function?
How Do Wetlands Help?
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“Harmful substances are often introduced into water bodies like
streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes. Factories may dump toxic
chemicals, or rainwater may carry harmful pesticides or animal
waste from farms. Such harmful substances can have negative
impacts on the wildlife that live in these water bodies. These
substances may also enter the groundwater, which is where people
get their water to drink!”
“Wetlands reduce the amount of these harmful substances that enter
a stream, river, pond, or lake by acting like a strainer that filters out
the bad stuff. When these substances enter a wetland, before
reaching the water body, wetland plants will take many of the
harmful substances into their roots and change the harmful
substances into less harmful ones before they are released to the
water body. Harmful substances may also be buried in wetland soil,
where bacteria and other microorganisms break the substances
down so they are no longer harmful.”
http://techalive.mtu.edu/meec/module12/Chemicalfunctionsofwetlan
ds.htm
How Does a wetland work
In your science journals:
I refute/Verify(pick one) my hypothesis that
__________________________ because
_________________________________.
“Our Wonderful Wetlands”
Streamline Video
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POST-MacModS( See Hand-Out)
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1.
2.
There are 3 acres of land located in North Myrtle
Beach, SC. On that land, there is a large
wetland that directly borders the ocean. A
developer came along and offered the land
owner 1.5 million dollars for the land- SOLD!
The developer decided to build a strip mall
there.
What do you think will be the effect on the water
quality in the ocean near the new strip mall?
Draw a diagram that depicts your explanation.
References
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http://beachwoodhistoricalalliance.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/wetlands-diagram.jpg
http://techalive.mtu.edu/meec/module12/Chemicalfunctionsofwetlands.htm
http://www.sam.usace.army.mil/PA/regulatory/Wetland.htm
http://www.epa.gov/wetlands/pdf/types_pr.pdf
http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/alabama/images/salt_marsh.j
pg
http://image.absoluteastronomy.com/images/encyclopediaimages/e/ev/everglades_saw
grass_prairie_moni3.jpg
http://www.fws.gov/r5mnwr/lotw/tupcypress2.jpg
http://www.shunya.net/Pictures/Mexico/mangrove-swamp.jpg
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/media/collections/cede/cedefire12.jpg
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/img_coll/insects/misa_fen2005MIDNRChris
Hoving.jpg
http://www2.scholastic.com/content/images/articles/m/msb_wetlandspg.gif