What Are Wetlands?
Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil or is present at or near the surface for at least part of the year.
Although wetlands cover only 6% of the Earth’s surface, they are critical for life on the planet.
They include ecosystems like marshes, swamps, and bogs characterized by unique plants and animals adapted to life in saturated conditions.
Wetlands can be freshwater or saltwater.
Why Are Wetlands Important?
Wetlands are important features in the landscape that provide numerous beneficial services for people, fish, and wildlife.
Water Quality: Wetlands improve water quality by removing pollutants like sediment, nutrients, and chemicals.
Flood prevention: Wetlands slow the flow of water, which helps prevent flooding and soil erosion.
Wildlife habitat: Wetlands provide homes for many animals, including fish, shellfish, fur-bearers like beavers and minks, and reptiles.
Economic support: Coastal wetlands provide habitats for more than half of the commercial seafood harvest in the United States, and recreational fisheries in wetlands also support jobs.
Medicines: Some medicines are also derived from wetland plants and soils. Example: Bogbean has been used traditionally for digestive issues.
Climate change: Wetlands store carbon within their plant communities and soil instead of releasing it to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Thus, wetlands help to moderate global climate conditions.
Wetlands – Animal Adaptations
Wetland animals have developed various adaptations for living in water:
Water-Repellent Feathers: Birds like herons and pelicans have water-repellent feathers that keep them dry and buoyant while hunting for food.
Camouflage: Alligators and turtles have colors and patterns that blend with their surroundings, helping them avoid predators and sneak up on prey.
Mucous Membranes: Fish and amphibians often have mucous-covered skin that protects them from infections and helps them move smoothly through water.
Long Legs and Necks: Birds such as flamingos and storks have long legs for wading in deeper water and long necks for reaching down to catch prey.
Fun Facts
Here are some interesting facts about wetlands:
- The Pantanal is the world’s largest tropical wetland, covering 42 million acres across Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay
- Wetlands can store up to 1.5 million gallons of floodwater per acre.
- Peatlands, a type of wetland, cover only 3% of the Earth’s land surface but store almost a third of the world’s carbon.
- Alaska has the most wetlands of any state in the United States. It contains about 63% of the nation’s total wetland area.
Review
Let’s quickly recap what we learned about wetlands:
- What do wetlands store that helps fight climate change? Carbon
- What type of natural disaster do wetlands help control? Floods
- What are the three main ecosystems found in wetlands? Marshes, Swamps & Bogs
- How do wetlands help improve water quality? Removing Pollutants
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