1. Wetland Ecology

2. Wetlands – lands covered with water all or part of a year
Hydric (saturated) soils – saturated long enough to create an anaerobic state in the soil horizon
Hydrophytic plants – adapted to thrive in wetlands despite the stresses of an anaerobic and flooded environment
Hydrologic regime – dynamic or dominant presence of water

3. Wetland Classification Chart
Major Categories
General Location
Wetland types
Coastal Wetlands:
Marine (undiluted salt water)
Open coast
Shrub wetland, salt marsh, mangrove swamp
Estuarine (salt/freshwater mix)
Estuaries (deltas, lagoons)
Brackish marsh, shrub wetland, salt marsh, mangrove swamp
Inland Wetlands:
Riverine (associated w/ rivers and streams)
River channels and floodplains
Bottomlands, freshwater marsh, delta marsh
Lacustrine (associated w/ lakes)
Lakes and deltas
Freshwater marsh, shrub and forest wetlands
Palustrine (shallow ponds, misc. freshwater wetlands)
Ponds, peatlands, uplands, ground water seeps
Ephemeral ponds, tundra peatland, ground water spring oasis, bogs

4. Physical/Hydrological Functions of Wetlands
Flood Control
Correlation between wetland loss and downstream flooding
can capture, store, and slowly release water over a period of time
Coastal Protection
Serve as storm buffers
Ground Water Recharge
Water has more time to percolate through the soil
Sediment Traps
Wetland plants help to remove sediment from flowing water
Atmospheric Equilibrium
Can act as ‘sinks’ for excess carbon and sulfur
Can return N back to the atmosphere (denitrification)

5. Chemical Functions of Wetlands
Pollution Interception
Nutrient uptake by plants
Settle in anaerobic soil and become reduced
Processed by bacterial action
Toxic Residue Processing
Buried and neutralized in soils, taken up by plants, reduced through ion exchange
Large-scale / long-term additions can exceed a wetland’s capacity
Some chemicals can become more dangerous in wetlands (Mercury)

6. Mercury Chemistry Elememental mercury (Hg0) Mercurous Ion (Hg+)
Most common form of environmental mercury
High vapor pressure, low solubility, does not combine with inorganic or organic ligands, not available for methylation
Mercurous Ion (Hg+)
Combines with inorganic compounds only
Can not be methylated
Mercuric Ion (Hg++)
Combines with inorganic and organic compounds
Can be methylated  CH3HG

7. Methylation Mono- and dimethylmercury can be formed
Basically a biological process by microorganisms in both sediment and water
Mono- and dimethylmercury can be formed
Dimethylmercury is highly volatile and is not persistent in aquatic environments
Influenced by environmnetal variables that affect both the availability of mercuric ions for methylation and the growth of the methylating microbial populations.
Rates are higher in anoxic environments, freshwater, and low pH
Presence of organic matter can stimulate growth of microbial populations, thus enhancing the formation of methylmercury (sounds like a swamp to me!)

8. Methylmercury Bioaccumulation
Mercury is accumulated by fish, invertebrates, mammals, and aquatic plants.
Inorganic mercury is the dominate environmental form of mercury, it is depurated about as fast as it is taken up so it does not accumulate.
Methylmercury can accumulate quickly but depurates slowly, so it accumulates
Also biomagnifies
Percentage of methylmercury increases with organism’s age.

10. Chemical Functions of Wetlands
Waste Treatment
High rate of biological activity
Can consume a lot of waste
Heavy deposition of sediments that bury waste
High level of bacterial activity that breaks down and neutralizes waste
Several cities have begun to use wetlands for waste treatment

11. Biological Functions of Wetlands
Biological Production
6.4% of the Earth’s surface  24% of total global productivity
Detritus based food webs
Habitat
80% of all breeding bird populations along with >50% of the protected migratory bird species rely on wetlands at some point in their life
95% of all U.S. commercial fish and shellfish species depends on wetlands to some extent

12. Wetland Life – The Protists
One celled organisms (algae, bacteria)
Often have to deal with a lack of oxygen
Desulfovibrio – genus of bacteria that can use sulfur, in place of oxygen, as a final electron acceptor
Produces sulfides (rotten-egg smell)
Other bacteria important in nutrient cycling
Denitrification

13. Phytoplankton Single celled Base of aquatic food web Oxygen production
Solar Energy + CO2 + H20  C6H12O2 + O2
Photosynthesis:
CO2 + H20  H2CO3  H+ + HCO3-  2H+ + CO3 2-
As CO2 is removed from the water pH increases.

14. General Types of Aquatic Macrophytes
Submergent – Plants that grow entirely under water. Most are rooted at the bottom and some may have flowers that extend above the water surface.
Floating-leaved – Plants rooted to the bottom with leaves that float on the water surface. Flowers are normally above water.
Free Floating – Plants not rooted to the bottom and float on the surface.
Emergent – herbaceous or woody plants that have the majority of their vegetative parts above the surface of the water.

15.                              
Coontail
Hydrilla
Parrotfeather

16. Floating-Leaved Plants

17. Free Floating Plants

18. Emergent Plants

19. Special Adaptations

20. Wetland Trees Wide at the base Tupelo Called a buttress Cypress
Previous Student
Wetland Trees
I won this boat

21. Benefits of Aquatic Plants
Primary Production
Wildlife Food
Oxygen Production
Shelter
Protection from predation for small fish
Fish Spawning
Several fish attach eggs to aquatic macrophytes
Some fish build nests in plant beds
Water Treatment
Wetland plants are very effective at removing nitrogen and phosphorous from polluted waters

22. Submerged macrophytes can provide shelter for young fish as well as house an abundant food supply.

23. Some fish will attach their eggs to aquatic vegetation.
Alligators also build nests from vegetation.

24. Too many plants can sometimes be a bad thing!
Block waterways
Deplete Oxygen