1. Unit 7 – Water Systems
Section 2- Wetlands

2. What are Wetlands?
lands where saturation with water is the dominant factor determining the nature of soil development and the types of plant and animal communities living in the soil and on its surface
act as the transition between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems

3. Categories of wetlands:
Marshes
Dominated by soft-stem vegetation

4. Categories of wetlands:
Swamps
Dominated by woody plants

5. Categories of wetlands:
Bogs
Freshwater, often formed in old glacial lakes,
Characterized by spongy, peat deposits, evergreen trees and shrubs, and a floor covered by a thick carpet of sphagnum moss.

6. Peat Moss
Shagnum Moss

7. Categories of wetlands:
Fens
Freshwater peat-forming wetlands covered mostly by grasses, sedges, reeds, and wildflowers

8. Wetland Functions Habitat
Provide homes for thousands of species of aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals
Organisms such as insect larvae, clams and crayfish form the basis of the food pyramid for the many fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals that flourish in them.
We get useful products from some wetlands including blueberries, cranberries, shellfish and timber
Wetlands are teeming with many microscopic organisms, insects such as damsel flies, dragon flies, water striders and boatmen, and invertebrates such as clams and crayfish. OF the 38 species of amphibians in PA 32 of them find a home in wetlands. Many of PA’s threatened and endangered species are associated with wetlands (ie. 62 % of the birds on the list are associated with wetlands)

9. Water Storage
Wetlands act like natural sponges, absorbing and storing water
This process
slows the water’s momentum and erosive potential
reduces flood heights
allows for ground water recharge
contributes to base flow to surface water systems during dry periods
The ability of wetlands to store floodwaters reduces the risk of costly property damage and loss of life—benefits that have economic value to us.
The rise and fall of water levels in tidal wetlands are much less than in areas where wetlands have been destroyed.

10. Water Filtration Wetlands slow water movement
Water moves around plants
Suspended sediments drop out and settle to the wetland floor.
Nutrient rich and shallow, so lots of photosynthesis which leads to a very diverse ecosystem

11. Plant roots and microorganisms in the soil absorb nutrients from:
Fertilizer application
Manure
Leaking Septic Tanks
Municipal Sewage
Other pollutants stick to soil particles.
Some types of wetlands are so good at this filtration function that environmental managers construct similar artificial wetlands to treat storm water and wastewater.

12. Biological Productivity
Wetlands are some of the most biologically productive natural ecosystems in the world
comparable to tropical rain forests and coral reefs in their productivity and biodiversity.
Provide Habitats
Abundant vegetation and shallow water provide diverse habitats for fish and wildlife.
Many plant and animal species are entirely dependent upon wetlands for survival
Animals spawn, nest, breed, rest and raise their young

13. Supports valuable commercial fish and shellfish industries.
Nutrient Rich
Aquatic plant life flourishes in the nutrient-rich environment
Energy converted by the plants is passed up the food chain to fish, waterfowl, and other wildlife and to us as well.
Supports valuable commercial fish and shellfish industries.