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Definition of a Wetland. Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil, or is present either at or near the surface of the soil all year or for varying periods of time during the year, including during the growing season. Water saturation (hydrology) largely determines how the soil develops and the types of plant and animal communities living ...
A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally for a shorter periods. Flooding results in oxygen -poor (anoxic) processes taking place, especially in the soils. [1]
A wetland is an area of land that is either covered with water or saturated with water. Unique plants, called hydrophytes, define wetland ecosystems. This wooded wetland, near the Stillaguamish River in Washington, is dominated by western skunk cabbages, also called "swamp lanterns." Photograph by Dave McCoy, MyShot.
wetland, complex ecosystem characterized by flooding or saturation of the soil, which creates low-oxygen environments that favour a specialized assemblage of plants, animals, and microbes, which exhibit adaptations designed to tolerate periods of sluggishly moving or standing water. Wetlands are usually classified according to soil and plant ...
A wetland is a place in which the land is covered by water—salt, fresh, or somewhere in between—either seasonally or permanently. It functions as its own distinct ecosystem. You can recognize wetlands from other types of land or bodies of water primarily by the vegetation that has adapted to wet soil. 2.
Wetlands play a role in the life cycle of 75 percent of these commercially harvested species in the U.S. Globally, two-thirds of all the fish we eat spend at least part of their life in a wetland.
Definition of a Wetland. Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil, or is present either at or near the surface of the soil all year or for varying periods of time during the year, including during the growing season. Water saturation (hydrology) largely determines how the soil develops and the types of plant and animal communities living ...
In general terms, wetlands are lands where saturation with water is the dominant factor determining the nature of soil development and the types of plant and animal communities living in the soil and on its surface. The single feature that most wetlands share is soil or substrate that is at least periodically saturated with or covered by water.
Using a watershed-based approach to wetland protection ensures that the whole system, including land, air, and water resources, is protected. Wetlands found in the United States fall into four general categories—marshes, swamps, bogs, and fens. Marshes are wetlands dominated by soft-stemmed vegetation, while swamps have mostly woody plants.
Wetlands play an integral role in the ecology of the watershed. The combination of shallow water, high levels of nutrients and primary productivity is ideal for the development of organisms that form the base of the food web and feed many species of fish, amphibians, shellfish and insects. Many species of birds and mammals rely on wetlands for ...