Wetlands

Wetlands  An ecotone or transitional zone between land and water  Shallow water, saturated soil, vegetation adapted to waterlogged conditions

Diversity  Wetlands are most physically and chemically heterogenous of all major aquatic ecosystems  No such thing as a “general wetland”

Wetlands Importance  Nesting, rearing habitat for waterfowl  Feeding, breeding areas for fishes  Nutrient, sediment buffer between land, water  Intrinsic aesthetic value

Rapidly Vanishing  Drained for agriculture  Drained for flood control  Drained to eliminate disease

“Never could a priest describe hell worse than this.” - Linnaeus

Continuing Losses  Few advocates  Misunderstanding of their importance

Types of Wetlands  Seasonal versus permanent  Seasonal dry out most summers  Productivity of seasonal > permanent

Types of Wetlands  Marshes, swamps, bogs, fens  Dominant plants, amount of peat, source of water  Productivity of marshes > swamps > fens > bogs

Protection & Restoration  Why protect a smelly, inaccessible, insect-ridden wetland?  Why create one at the expense of good, productive land?

Protection & Restoration  Functionality - what do they need to do?  How big to be successful?  Partitioning between seasonal, permanent?  Control access?  Emphasis on protecting rare species, or common ones more important in food chain?  Can important catastrophic events (floods) be simulated?