1. Lesson 1.4 Pg

2. Wetlands A wetland is an area that: Contains unique types of soils,
Is home to plants adapted to the wet environment
Contains water all year or at certain times during the year
Bogs, Swamps, and Marshes are common names for wetlands

3. Bogs
Is a wetland in which the soils consist mainly of decomposed plant material called peat or muck
Home to frogs, turtles, insects, and certain birds
Plants:
Moses are the most dominant
Shrubs, evergreens, water lilies, pitcher plants, cranberries, and blueberries
Very acidic and little oxygen
Occurs because there is little movement of water

4. Swamps
Are a forested wetlands in which trees and bushes are the dominant plants
Animals:
white-tailed deer, raccoons, herons, egrets, woodpeckers, snakes, frogs, turtles
Soil:
Maybe be rich in nutrients or not
Swamps are classified depending on the type of tree that dominates the swamp
Conifer Swamps = Cedars, pines, spruces, hemlocks
Hardwood Swamps = Maples, willows, aspens, birches, elms, oaks

5. Conifer Swamp Hardwood Swamp

6. Marsh
Is a wetland that generally forms at the mouth of a river or in areas where there is poor drainage
Water comes from nearby creeks, streams, and rivers
Soil = rich in nutrients
Plants:
Grasses, sedges, bulrushes, and cattails
Animals:
Beavers, frogs, turtles, raccoons, muskrats, opossums, birds, insects

7. Pennsylvania Wetlands
407,000 acres of PA are wetlands
Three general types of wetlands in PA
1. Forested Wetlands
2. Scrub-Shrub Wetlands
3. Emergent Wetlands

8. Forested Wetlands
Are areas where the dominant plants = matured woody trees
Red & silver maples
Black gums
River birches
Green ashes
Make up 220,000 acres of PA wetlands

9. Scrub-Shrub Wetlands
Are wetlands where the dominant plants are scrubs and shrubs and plants under 20 ft.
Alders
Willows
Spicebushes
High-blush blueberries
Winterberries
Honey suckles
Covers 139,000 acres of PA Wetlands

10. Emergent Wetlands
Marshy areas where plants are tooted in soil but emerge above the water
Rushes
Grasses
sedges
Covers 52,000 acres of PA wetlands

11. Wetlands at Work Wetlands serve many different functions
Provide habitats and food
Spawning grounds
Cycle nutrients through the ecosystem
Protect land from erosion and damage from floods and storms
Filter pollutant from environment

13. Habitat Wetlands are home to hundreds of different species
Many of these species (35%) are endangered or threatened
Endangered = soon to be extinct
Threatened = soon to become endangered
Other organism that call wetlands home:
500 plants species of concern
80% of PA’s amphibians
41% of PA’s reptiles
120 species of birds

14. Food Factories Very high primary productivity rates
Plants form the base of wetland food webs
Decomposing plant parts provide food and nutrients for bacteria, fungi, protisits, and various invertebrates
Bacteria, fungi, protisits, and various invertebrates are food sources for wetland vertebrates

16. Spawning Grounds and Nurseries
200 species of amphibians, wild ducks, geese, swans, bitterns, and herons reproduce in wetlands
Wetlands in the flood plains of larger rivers provide spawning habitats for many freshwater fish
Ex. Salmon

17. Cycling Nutrients Plants make their own food using photosynthesis
Use energy from the sun to produce food and oxygen
Oxygen is used for respiration by all heterotrophs
Are animals and fungi that eat plants and animal matter
Plants also move phosphorus, nitrogen, and other nutrients through the wetland

18. Buffer Zones Wetlands can function as sponges
Absorb access runoff and slowly release it back into the environment
Ability to store water and slow the flow has several advantage
Reduce likelihood of flood damage
Help control increases in the rate and volume of run off in urban areas

19. Buffer Zones Wetlands aid in protecting coastlines
Roots of vegetation holds soil in place
Plants absorb the energy of waves and break up the flow of the stream or river currents
Buffer storm surges from hurricanes and tropical storms
Prevents severe damage to nearby roads, houses, and other structures

20. Pollution Control #1 water pollutant in PA = sediment
Wetlands play a huge role in reducing sediment pollution
Slow down water movement
Decreased movement allows sediment to settle
Also help prevent air pollution
Many wetland plants store carbon rather than releasing it into the air as carbon dioxide
Carbon Dioxide is thought to affect global climates

21. Sediment Pollution Air Pollution

22. Suburban Swamps
PA’s creeks rivers and streams were critical to the development of many cities because…
Provided means to transport goods
Fresh water for consumption
Urbanization has disrupted and destroyed many wetlands associated with these bodies of water
Many wetlands are disappearing!

23. Negative Effects of Losing Wetlands
Greatly reduces recreational areas
Make the area less attractive to business
No Business No Money
Reduce the quality of air and water in the area
Landscapes may have an increase risk of flooding

24. Benefits of Protecting Wetlands
Vegetation will provide good air and water quality
Plants can remove harmful gases from the air and harmful substances from the water
Provide habitats for wildlife
Lessen the chances and effects of flooding

25. Formation of Urban Wetlands
Are what’s left streams and rivers that flowed through urban areas prior to development
May develop due to poorly planned development
Ex. Drainage ditches become urban wetlands when runoff collects in artificial gullies

26. Benefits of Urban Wetlands
Buffer the runoff from pavements (minimizing flooding)
Trap and filter out harmful substances
Iron, lead, copper
Aid in treating large volumes of wastewater produced by cities and towns

27. Complete the following…
Lesson Review 1-14 pg. 26
You Solve It pg. 25
Answer the five questions at the end of the passage
Write out the vocabulary for section 1.4 pg
Wetland Forested Wetland
Bog Scrub-Shrub Wetland
Swamp Emergent Wetland
Marsh Endangered / Threatened
Heterotrophs