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A simplified definition of wetland is "an area of land that is usually saturated with water". [14] More precisely, 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". [15]
This is a list of freshwater ecoregions as compiled by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The freshwater ecoregion system is similar to that for terrestrial ecoregions.The Earth's land surface is divided into eight terrestrial biogeographic realms or ecozones, which contain hundreds of smaller ecoregions.
Wetlands exist on every continent, except Antarctica. [19] The water in wetlands is either freshwater, brackish or saltwater. [18] The main types of wetland are defined based on the dominant plants and the source of the water. For example, marshes are wetlands dominated by emergent herbaceous vegetation such as reeds, cattails and sedges.
A freshwater swamp forest is a type of wetland ecosystem characterized by its unique hydrology and vegetation. These forests are typically found in low-lying areas, riverbanks, and floodplains where there is a consistent supply of freshwater. [3]
Sedges are a large family of grass-like plants with many species that form a characteristic part of wetland vegetation. Bolboschoenus, club rushes. Carex, the true sedges, contains over 2,000 species, primarily found in wetland environments. Eleocharis, the spikerushes. Scirpus, bulrushes.
Wetlands are frequently being destroyed for development, agriculture, and other uses. Wetlands have decreased by as much as 50% since 1900 and in some parts of the world by 90%. [ 19 ] [ 20 ] Inland wetlands, freshwater marshes making up about 20-25% of all freshwater wetlands globally, [ 21 ] have been decreasing approximately 1.2% each year ...
The main types of intertidal wetlands are mudflats (e.g., mangrove swamps) and salt marshes. The mangrove swamps are encountered along tropical shores and are characterized by tree vegetation, while salt marshes are mostly found in temperate zones and are mostly grass ecosystems. [1] Intertidal wetlands are commonly encountered in most estuaries.
The wetlands of Louisiana are water-saturated coastal and swamp regions of southern Louisiana, often called "Bayou". The Louisiana coastal zone stretches from the border of Texas to the Mississippi line [ 1 ] and comprises two wetland-dominated ecosystems, the Deltaic Plain of the Mississippi River (unit 1, 2, and 3) and the closely linked ...