Chesapeake Bay: An Introduction to an Ecosystem Section 4: Communities II-1E1: Wetlands View this quiz as a slide show from “the beginning” During the slide show, you can right click on any slide and choose pointer options then pen or highlighter to write on any slide. But you will need to right click & choose pointer options then arrow before you can click on any of the navigation links again. Click to Start

__________________ are environments subjected to periodic flooding or prolonged saturation, producing specific plant communities and soil types. No hint Wetlands HintAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-1

Wetlands are characterized by __________ vegetation (water-loving plants adapted to wet soils) and __________ soils (saturated or periodically flooded soils). No hint HintAnswerNext Slide hydric hydrophytic II-1E1-2

Name the two broad categories of wetlands in the Bay watershed. No hint 1.Tidal 2.Nontidal or palustrine HintAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-3

Nontidal or ____________ wetlands are freshwater areas unaffected by the tides. No hint palustrine HintAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-4

Name three factors that determine the specific plant and animal life a wetland can support. No hint 1.Salinity 2.Substrate 3.Frequency of flooding HintAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-5

No hint True HintAnswerNext Slide Identify the tidal wetland vegetation Spartina patens II-1E1-6

Tidal wetlands are dominated by _______________ vegetation and are subjected to tidal flooding. Another word for non-woody herbaceous HintAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-7

Name four vegetation that may dominate the high marsh zone. No hint 1.saltmeadow cordgrass 2.black needlerush 3.saltgrass 4.marsh elder. HintAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-8

True or False: Freshwater marshes do not have low and high zones. No hint False HintAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-9

Name four vegetations you may find along the water’s edge of a freshwater marsh. No hint 1.wild rice 2.arrow arum 3.pickerel weed 4.pond lily HintAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-10

Name two plants that may be prevalent in the high zone of a freshwater marsh. Freshwater marshes can be tidal 1.cattail 2.big cordgrass HintAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-11

Label the diagram No hint Hint AnswerNext Slide II-1E1-12

Name six trees commonly found in forested wetlands. No hint 1.red maple 2.black gum 3.river birch 4.black willow 5.Atlantic white cedar 6.bald cypress HintAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-13

Name five plants that non-tidal wetlands frequently contain. No hint 1.Bulrush 2.broad-leaved cattail 3.jewel weed 4.spike rushes 5.sedges. HintAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-14

Forested wetlands, often referred to as __________, may have permanent standing water or may be seasonally flooded. No hint swamps HintAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-15

Name three types of shrubs often present in forested wetlands. No hint 1.Willows 2.Alders 3.button bushes HintAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-16

True or False: Plant diversity, biochemical reactions and hydrology of wetland habitats make them extremely productive. No hint true HintAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-17

The below-ground biomass in a wetland, composed of root and rhizome material, is often _______________ the above- ground biomass. Almost half About the same more than double Hint – multiple choiceAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-18

The huge biomass in a wetland contians a tremendous reservoir of nutrients and chemicals bound up in _____________and_________________. No hint HintAnswerNext Slide plant tissue sediments II-1E1-19

Approximately 1.5 million acres of wetlands remain in the Bay watershed, less ______% of the wetlands that were here during colonial times Hint – multiple choiceAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-20

Of the remaining wetlands, ____% are tidal and _____% are nontidal. 9/91 13/87 27/73 61/39 Hint – multiple choiceAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-21

Explain how wetlands have been treated in the past & why. No hint Often viewed as wastelands, wetlands were drained or filled for farms, residential developments, commercial buildings, highways and roads. HintAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-22

Name five types of wildlife that rely on wetlands for food and cover. No hint 1.Muskrats 2.Beavers 3.Otters 4.Songbirds 5.wading birds HintAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-23

Name seven of the thousands of aquatic animals that thrive in wetlands and are food for other organisms. No hint 1.Reptiles 2.Amphibians 3.Worms 4.Insects 5.snails 6.Mussels 7. tiny crustaceans HintAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-24

Fish and shellfish, many of which are commercially valuable, use wetlands as ___________ or _____________ areas. No hint HintAnswerNext Slide spawning nursery II-1E1-25

Tidal wetlands are the __________ homes for great flocks of migratory waterfowl. No hint wintering HintAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-26

________________ plants and animals are the major food source for other wetland inhabitants No hint Decomposing HintAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-27

A host of invertebrates feed on decomposing plants and animals. This nutrient rich ___________ is also available to juvenile stages of fish and crabs. No hint detritus HintAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-28

In a wetland, a dense layer of microscopic plants and animals, including ___________ and ___________, coats the land surface and serves as food. No hint HintAnswerNext Slide bacteria algae II-1E1-29

Explain why wetlands are important for controlling flood and storm waters. No hint Fast-moving water is slowed by vegetation and temporarily stored in wetlands. The gradual release of water reduces erosion and possible property damage. Coastal wetlands absorb the erosive energy of waves, further reducing erosion. HintAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-30

Nutrients, carried to wetlands by tides, precipitation, runoff and groundwater, are trapped and used by wetland ____________. No hint vegetation HintAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-31

Poised between land and water, wetlands act as _________, regulating the flow of sediments and nutrients into rivers and the Bay. No hint buffers HintAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-32

As water runs off the land and passes through wetlands, it is filtered. Suspended solids, including sediment pollutants, settle and are trapped by ______________. No hint vegetation HintAnswerNext Slide II-1E1-33

What are some ways humans benefit from wetlands? No hint Economically, wetlands provide opportunities for fishing, crabbing and hunting. Other popular activities include hiking, bird-watching, photography and wildlife study. People are lured by the beauty of wetlands to enjoy the sights and sounds that these areas can offer. HintAnswerLast Slide II-1E1-34