Chapter 2

Fresh Water

Section 3

Wetland Environments

What Is a Wetland?

• A wetland is an area of land that is covered with a shallow layer of water during some or all of the year.

What Is a Wetland?

• There are three main types of fresh-water wetlands found in the U.S.:

• Marshes• Swamps• Bogs

• Each is slightly different from the others, but all are considered to be wetlands.

Marshes

• Marshes generally are grassy areas covered by a shallow layer or stream of water.

• They contain cattails, rushes, tule, and other tall grass-like plants.

Swamps

• Swamps look more like flooded forests, with trees and shrubs growing in the water.

• The south has several swamps due to the warm and humid temperatures that help trees grow.

Bogs

• Bogs often form in depressions left by melting ice sheets thousands of years ago in cooler northern parts of the world.

• The water in bogs tend to be slightly acidic, so many types of moss thrive there.

Coastal Wetlands

• Include salt and fresh water.• Salt marshes (found on both coasts in the U.S.)

contain tall, strong grasses growing in a rich, muddy bottom.

• Mangrove forests (found in Florida) consist of short trees with a thick tangle of roots that anchor the trees during tropical storms.

Coastal Wetlands

Salt Marsh Mangrove Forest

Wetland Habitats

• Because of their sheltered waters and rich supply of nutrients, wetlands provide habitats for many living things.

• Some species live there year-round and some live there for only part of the year.

The Importance of Wetlands

• In addition to serving as habitats for wildlife, parts of the wetlands (like cattails) provide natural water filtration for humans to use and help control floods by absorbing extra runoff from heavy rain.

The Everglades: A Unique Environment• Farming and urban development has caused

the Everglades to suffer.