1 / 18

An Introduction to Wetlands

An Introduction to Wetlands. What are wetlands? What are the major factors defining wetlands? What are the different types of wetlands?. Wetlands are transitional environments between uplands and fully aquatic environments They are defined on the basis of

kiayada-shepard
Download Presentation

An Introduction to Wetlands

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. An Introduction to Wetlands • What are wetlands? • What are the major factors defining wetlands? • What are the different types of wetlands?

  2. Wetlands are transitional environments between uplands and fully aquatic environments • They are defined on the basis of • Hydrology – presence and duration of water • Vegetation – dominance of vegetation adapted to saturated soil conditions • Soils – poorly drained and with evidence of low or fluctuating oxygen

  3. Wetland Hydrology • Area is inundated or saturated to the surface for at least 5% of the growing season in most years • Growing season is based on soil temperature and is determined for regions by the USDA • Most years = 51 out of 100 years Wetlands are NOT always wet!

  4. Hydrophytic Vegetation • Plant species that are adapted for life in saturated soils • Anaerobic soil conditions • Soggy or waterlogged soils • Require adaptations for better support • Require adaptations for gas exchange • Hydrophytes are plants growing in water or on substrates that are periodically deficient in oxygen

  5. Hydrophytes • Plants classified by tendency to occur in wetlands • Obligate: Almost always occur in wetlands (>99%) • Facultative Wetland: Usually occur in wetlands (67-99%) • Facultative: Equally likely to occur in wetlands or non-wetlands (33-67%) • Facultative Upland: Usually occur in non-wetland (67-99%) but occasionally in wetlands (1-33%) • Upland: Almost always occur in non-wetlands (>99%) • US Fish and Wildlife Service • List of Plants that commonly occur in wetlands • By Region: Indiana is Region 3

  6. Tree showing buttressed roots and water level staining

  7. Trees with Buttressed Roots and Cattails (open chambers in stems)

  8. Hydric Soil • A soil that is saturated, flooded, or ponded long enough during the growing season to develop anaerobic conditions in the root zone • Tend to be dark in color and have mottles of iron staining

  9. Five Major Wetland Systems • Marine – Associated with Coastal Areas • Estuarine – Associated with Estuaries (places where salt water and fresh water mix along coastlines) • Riverine – Associated with Rivers • Lacustrine – Associated with Lakes • Palustrine – Occur in Topographic Low Spots

  10. Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve – Salt Marsh

  11. Mangrove Swamp – Everglades National Park – Estuarine Wetland

  12. Ritchey Woods Natural Area – Riparian Wetland

  13. Point Pelee National Park – Ontario, Canada - Lacustrine

  14. Western US - Palustrine Wetland – in topographic low

  15. Ritchey Woods Natural Area – Forested Wetland

  16. Photo: Marion Jackson

More Related