860 likes | 1.82k Views
Wetlands. Important Habitats & Ecosystems. What are “wetlands”?. What do YOU think “Wetlands” are?. Look again. What do you see & hear?. A wetland is land that is soaked with water, like a wet sponge. Sometime you see the water…. …and sometimes you don’t. Why are wetlands important?.
E N D
Wetlands Important Habitats& Ecosystems
A wetland is land that is soaked with water, like a wet sponge.
Wetland plants make tons and tons of oxygen for animals, like us, to breath.
Wetland plants and soil filter (clean) water, as the water soaks into the ground.
Swamp, marsh, bog, and vernal pool are the 4 main typesof wetlands.
What makes each type different from the others?1. Amounts of water2. Types of soil3. The plants and animals
Swamp Land flooded all or most of the year with lots of trees or shrubs. Trees and shrubs are called “woody plants”. There are many different kinds of swamps, ranging from the forested red maple swamps of the Northeast, to the extensive bottomland hardwood forests found along the sluggish rivers of the Southeast.
What was the SAME in allof the swamps? Go back and look again, if you need.
Marsh Land flooded for all or most of the year. No trees growing in the marsh, only soft-stemmed plants. Typical marshes include species of sedges, rushes, grasses, smartweed, and cattails.
What was the SAME in allof the marshes? Go back and look again, if you need.
SaltMarsh Marshes near the oceans and bays have salt water. Different plants and animals live in these. Coastal wetland plant species include: smooth cordgrass; black needlerush; glasswort; salt grass; sea lavender; salt marsh bullrush; saw grass; cattail; salt meadow cordgrass; and big cordgrass
Bog A bog has spongy peat moss and very little open water. Precipitation is the only way water goes into the bog, and evaporation is the only way water leaves the bog.
Did the bogs look wet?Try walking on one.It’s like walking on a wet sponge.
Vernal Pools Spring Winter Summer The plants and animals that live in vernal (spring) pools depend on water for only part of the year. No fish live in this type of wetland. Vernal pools have water in fall through spring. They dry out in summer.
Swamp Land flooded all or most of the year with lots of trees or shrubs. Trees and shrubs are called “woody plants”. There are many different kinds of swamps, ranging from the forested red maple swamps of the Northeast, to the extensive bottomland hardwood forests found along the sluggish rivers of the Southeast.
Bog A bog has spongy peat moss and very little open water. Precipitation is the only way water goes into the bog, and evaporation is the only way water leaves the bog.
Marsh Land flooded for all or most of the year. No trees growing in the marsh, only soft-stemmed plants. Typical marshes include species of sedges, rushes, grasses, smartweed, and cattails.
Vernal Pools Spring Winter Summer The plants and animals that live in vernal (spring) pools depend on water for only part of the year. No fish live in this type of wetland. Vernal pools have water in fall through spring. They dry out in summer.
Wetlands are habitatsfor many plantsand animals. They are adapted to the wet environment.
Swamp Swamp Rose Great Blue Heron
Swamp Swamp Sparrow Alligator