Wetlands PowerPoint
Download
Report
Transcript Wetlands PowerPoint
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