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Derelict water-meadows are often of importance as wetland wildlife habitats. Water-meadows should not be confused with flood-meadows, which are naturally covered in shallow water by seasonal flooding from a river. "Water-meadow" is sometimes used more loosely to mean any level grassland beside a river.
The life forms of a wetland system includes its plants and animals and microbes (bacteria, fungi). The most important factor is the wetland's duration of flooding. [1] Other important factors include fertility and salinity of the water or soils.
A wetland is a land area that is saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, such that it takes on the characteristics of a distinct ecosystem. The primary factor that distinguishes wetlands from other land forms or water bodies is the characteristic vegetation of aquatic plants, adapted to the unique hydric soil. Wetlands play a ...
Wet meadows were once common in wetland types around the world. [4] [5] They remain an important community type in wet savannas and flatwoods. [6] The also survive along rivers and lakeshores where water levels are allowed to change within and among years. [7] But their area has been dramatically reduced.
A wetland (aerial view) Wetland conservation is aimed at protecting and preserving areas of land including marshes, swamps, bogs, and fens that are covered by water seasonally or permanently due to a variety of threats from both natural and anthropogenic hazards. Some examples of these hazards include habitat loss, pollution, and invasive species.
The salinity levels in brackish marshes can range from 0.5 ppt to 35 ppt. [2] Marshes are also characterised by low-growing vegetation and bare mud or sand flats. [3] Due to the variations in salinity, brackish marshes create a distinctive ecosystem where plants from either freshwater or saltwater marshes can co-inhabit. [4]
Freshwater swamp forests are rich in biodiversity and provide habitat for a wide range of plant and animal species. They support numerous aquatic species, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. Birds are also abundant in these ecosystems. The flooded conditions can make these areas particularly important for fish breeding and spawning. [20]
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 ...