Wetlands
Do large wetlands contain the qualities of small wetlands?
No, they have their own unique characteristics
What is the dominant veg or a marsh?
Non-woody veg.
What is an allochthonous input?
Products of primary production from outside the system
What is an autochthonous input?
Products of primary production from within the system
What are hydric soils?
saturated, flooded or ponded for long enough to create anaerobic conditions in the upper zones
What traits might cause species to specialize in permanent or temporary habitats?
-Rate of development -Feeding type -Plasticity -Ability to tolerate drying -Life history tradeoffs -Activity level
What is the equation for wetland hydrology?
(OF + S(i) + G(i) + P(net)) - (S(o) + G(o) + ET)
What are some morphological adaptations of plants to wet environments? (5)
-Aerenchyma: Air pockets in stem -Lenticels: Holes in tree stem & branches for O2 intake -Adventitious roots: Roots coming off non-root parts like stem -Knees: possibly for structural support -Pneumataphores: Roots above O2 table for gas exchange
What are peds? What do they do?
-Aggregated particles of clay, silt, and sand -Give stability, porosity, gas exchange, and root penetration
What are the characteristics of Atlantic white cedar swamps?
-Close to rivers -Densely forested -Freshwater -Most water from groundwater & surface water flow -can be ecotonal (connected to rivers) or non ecotonal
What are the characteristics of a salt marsh?
-Costal -Highly affected by tides; main water input, some GW -Ecotonal from low marsh plain to high marsh
What are the characteristics of Carolina bays
-Debate on origin -Non ecotonal, isolated -Most water from GW and precip
What are subtle threats to degradation and loss of wetland fxns?
-Diversion/damming of rivers -Disconnection of floodplans from flood flows -Eutrophication/pollution -Ag/grazing -filling/draining
What are the terms for benthic algae on: plants; soft substrate; detrutus?
-Epiphytic -Epipelic -Epidetrital
What determines the path of groundwater?
-Follows the path of LEAST resistance -->Permeability/porosity of rocks and soil
What are the characteristics of Riverine floodplain wetlands?
-Fresh water -Ecotonal -Near rivers & streams -Usually inland -Mostly surface runoff, groundwater flow, and precip
What are the characteristics of tidal freshwater wetlands?
-Fresh water/very low salinity -Ecotonal -Costal -Most water from surface water (estuary)
What are the characteristics of pocosins?
-Fresh, ombrotrophic -Ecotonal -Rain fed
What are the characteristics of fens?
-Freshwater, mineratrophic -Non-ecotonal, isolated -Fed by GW and overland flow
What are the characteristics of Spring-fed wetlands?
-GW fed non-ecotonal, isolated
What are the characteristics of cypress swamps?
-Grow in shallow standing water -Depressional -Poor drainage -Peaty -Formed from poor water drainage -Ombrotrophic -Rainwater/overland flow fed
What are historical negative views of wetlands?
-Hell like -Useless land -Impassible barriers to progress Stagnant, foul, diseased waters
What are current negative views of wetlands?
-Land is worth more for other purposes -Source of illness (mosquitoes)
What are some morphological adaptations of plants to dry environments?
-Leaf curling -Schlerophyllous leaves -Thick, leathery leves
What are the characteristics of Northern bogs?
-Low temp, short growing season -Most water from precip, ombrotrophic -Thick layer of peat -isolated
What is bulk density? How does it relate to porosity?
-Mass of dry soil per total volume of soil -Inversely related to porosity
What are the characteristics of vernal pools?
-Most water from rain -Usually minerotrophic -Short hydroperiod
What aspects of hydropatterns are ecologically relevant? (wissinger)
-Permanence -Predictability -Phenology -Duration -Harshness
What are the characteristics of a mangrove swamp?
-Saline, woodland/shrubland Brackish water -Costal -Permanently/ intermittently flooded -Water from surface water
What are the wetland types that were presented?
-Salt marshes -Mangrove swamps -Tidal Freshwater wetlands -Riverine floodplain wetlands -Atlantic white cedar swamps -Carolina Bays -Cypress domes/swamps -Pocosins -Fens -Northern bogs -Vernal Woodland Pools -Spring-fed wetlands -Prarie potholes -Playas
What is succession (3 parts)? Is it a correct theory?
-The theory of the replacement of plant species in a sequence through time 1) Vegetation occurs as recognizable groups of species (community types) 2) Community change over time is stimulated by biota 3) Changes are linear and directed toward a mature stable climax ecosystem -These 3 concepts have been rejected in their simplest form, ecologists lean toward an individualistic view of plant communities -No such thing as permaneent "climax ecosystem"
Why do clay soils have high water storage?
-They develop secondary fractures b/t peds
What is an ecotone?
-Transitional habitat -Completely surrounded by terrestrial habitat = "non-ecotonal"
Why does costal vs inland matter in wetlands?
-inland wetlands not influenced by tides & salt water -Impacts the salinity, which decides vegetation makeup
How do we capture the "total value" of wetland ecosystems?
1) Market value (made by transactions) 2) Indirect market value (ecotourism) 3) Non-market value (beauty, existence value) -->can be converted to market value by "willingness to pay" 4) Ecosystem services (Value converted to market equiv.) --> replacement cost: riparian zones cost less than water treatment plant --> Avoidance costs: Compare damages of areas/ w and w/o costal marshes for hurricane damage **When ecosystem services included, wetland value exceeds commercial value
How does organic content impact: 1) Porosity 2) Water holding capacity 3) Percolation 4) Plant nutrient conent 5) pH
1) increase 2) Increase 3) increase 4) increase 5) decrease
What happens in the pore space with inundation?
1) pores fill w/ H2O 2) Diffusion of O2 is deminished 3) Soil microbes use remaining O2 4)Anaerobic bacteria colonize and reduce Fe/Mn 5) Start to deplete /change soil chemistry
How does soil texture affect: 1) Porosity 2) Infiltration rate 3) Percolation rate 4) Aeration 5) Water storage capacity
1)Clay>Sand>Silt 2)Clay<Sand<Silt 3)Clay<Sand<Silt 4)Clay<Sand<Silt 5)Clay>Sand>Silt
What plant makeup is needed for an area to be considered a wetland?
50% Obligate wet, fac. wet, and fac. plants
What percent of Earth's surface do wetlands cover?
6%
According to Dahl (1990) what percent of US wetlands has been lost since colonization?
>50%
What is clay often made of?
Aluminum and silica base
What is the definition of a wetland? (USACE)
Areas inundated by surface or ground water at a frequent duration sufficient to support vegetation typically adapted to life in saturated soil
What are algae on the bottom of a wetland called?
Benthic algae, periphyton
What gas is consumed in the calvin cycle? Why?
CO2 for sugar synthesis; use the energy from the light reaction to do this
What are the differences b/t the Clementsian and Gleasonian views of plant communities?
Clements: Ecotones are regions of rapid replacement of species along a gradient (COMMUNITY BASED) Gleason: In open communities, species are distributed INDEPENDENTLY with respect to one another
What are the major sources of allochthonous inputs (3)?
Detritus (particulate organic carbon) from land DOC & POC (detritus) in surface water inputs DOC in GW
What algae is an indicator of healthy wetlands?
Diatoms!
Why is size an invalid primary criterion for assessing wetland value?
Different size ponds have different hydroperiods and support different assemblages of organisms. -Hydroperiod may be more important than size biologically
What is discharge? What is recharge?
Discharge = water leaving GW Recharge = Water entering GW
How can one tell the difference between eukaryotic and prokaryotic bacteria in wetlands?
Eukaryotic have chloroplasts!
What gives soil its color?
From the mix of iron and organics -->Oxidized iron give soil a brown-yellow/orange/red color -->Oxidized manganese is black
What are the three types of hydric soils?
Gleyed soils (grey from reduced Fe) Mineral soils (Grey chroma w/ orange mottles) Organic soils (black mucks to peat)
What are organic soils?
Greater than 12-18% organic content
What happens if the water table reaches the surface?
Groundwater discharge
Algae are a (high/medium/low) source of energy in a wetland. Why?
High!
What are the three most important components of a wetland?
Hydrology Soil Chemistry Plant community
What are the distinguishing factors between different wetland types (5)?
Hydrology (water sources) Salinity Geology Climate Vegetation
Why is the idea of hydrarch succession harmful?
If the wetland is going to disappear anyway, why not speed it up?
What does a high amount of algae in a wetland mean?
It means that the wetland is productive/high in nutrients
What does pH do to solubility in soil?
Low pH limits uptake of P, N, Ca, Mg, deminishes microbe; increases Aluminum and manganese levels High PH limits P, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn
Plants are more/less affected by flooding than drying. Why?
MORE O2 deficiency in roots Soil phytotoxin accumulation
What are some animal adaptations to drying?
NO active dispersal -Burrowing into moist sediment -Desiccation resistant eggs Active Dispersal -Oviposition strategies, phenology, desiccation resistnat stages -Dispersal to other wetlands --> density dependent (move depending on density) --> Opportunistic colonization (parent lays eggs in many wetlands) -->Cyclic colonization b/t perm. & temp. wetlands -Rapid development & recolonization
Are isolated waters protected? (in general)
Not in most states. In PA, yes.
What gas is produced in the light reaction? From what?
O2 from H2O
What is are the vegetation types?
Obligate wetlands Facultative wetland Facultative Facultative upland Obligate upland
What are discharge wetlands? Where do they occur?
Occur below the water table, collect GW
What is a recharge wetland?
Occurs above the water table and collect runoff
What is primary succession?
Occurs in areas where no plants grew before. The first inhabitants are lichens or plants—those that can survive in such an environment. Over hundreds of years these "pioneer species" convert the rock into soil that can support simple plants such as grasses. These grasses further modify the soil, which is then colonized by other types of plants. Each successive stage modifies the habitat by altering the amount of shade and the composition of the soil. The final stage of succession is a climax community, which is a very stable stage that can endure for hundreds of years
What is secondary succession?
Occurs when existing plant community recovers from disturbance
Why is water uptake hard for plants in clay soil?
Particle adhesion is greater than root force
Muck vs mucky peat vs peat?
Peat is the least decomposed
What are the 7 classifications of water permanence?
Permanently Intermittently Semi-permanently Seasonally Saturated Temporarily Intermittently
What are floating algae called?
Phytoplankton
What are the four potential sources of water in wetlands?
Precipitation GW discharge Interflow/Overland flow Surface water inputs (streams)
What are the 4 categories of ecosystem services?
Provisioning (i.e. food) Regulatory (i.e. coastal protection) Supporting (i.e. nutrient cycling) Cultural (i.e. recreation)
What are the three main mineral particle sizes?
Sand, silt, clay
What are the three important factors of hydric soils?
Saturation Reduction (soil depleted of oxygen) Redoximorphic features
By the USACE, what is wetland hydrology?
Shallow (< 2 m) inundation - 7 days to 1 month in growing season 2) Not inundated, but it has: -moderately drained soil - < 0.5 m to water table for > 1 wk in growing season -poorly drained soil - < 1 m for > 1 wk in growing season -very poorly drained soil - < 1.5 m for > 1 wk in growing season
How does redox gradient change in water?
Surface water receives O2 from air Top layer of soil is oxidized Bottom layer is reduced
What is residence time?
The average time a water molecule spends in a wetland from the time it enters to the time it leaves
What is productivity? Units?
The rate of biomass accumulation (g/m2/yr)
What is the water table?
The top zone of GW saturation
How can a non-ecotonal wetland contain ecotones?
The transitional area on the edge of a wetland may be ecotonal to the terrestrial habitat
What is a hydropattern?
The typical/average schedule of drying and filling
In what way do vascular plants contribute to the overall energy of a system?
They are not eaten alive b/c they are high in hard-to-digest cellulose. Once these molecules are broken down during decomposition, they are consumed
How do photoautotrophs accumulate carbon? How do they utilize it? Why?
They take CO2 from the air for use in the organism. CO2 is made into larger organic carbon molecules (C-C-C-C-C-C). These store lots of energy in their bonds.
Why is wetland soil mostly sand, silt, and clay?
Things larger than sand don't get carried into wetlands
What is biomass? Units?
Total amount of organic matter in an area at a fixed point in time (g/m2)
What are major sources of autochthonous inputs (3)?
Vascular plants/benthic algae (detritus) Chemoautotrophs (anaerobic bacteria) Phytoplankton
How can wetland hydrology vary seasonally?
Water table changes, discharge & recharge changes
What is the dominant vegetation of a swamp?
Woody vegetation
Can a wetland be both discharge and recharge?
Yes, depending on the topography. Part can be above water table and part can be below
what causes a minerotrophic wetland?
connected to groundwater or w/ inflows; thus, exposed to minerals (N & P, HCO3-)
What types of algae are common in highly eutrophic wetlands?
green filamentous & blue-green bacteria
What is an ombrotrophic wetland?
isolated from surface & ground water only receive rain (permafrost) Only water is from rain
What is the difference between a potential and realized niche?
potential niche: the niche that would prevail in the absence of competition and other factor Realized niche: The actual niche an organism occupies as a result of competition for its resources, problems in acquiring those resources
What is the hydrarch model? What are the issues w/ it?
wetlands are not stable communities, but instead are transient stages in the succession of development of a terrestrial forested climax community from a shallow lake -->only partially correct -->cyclic succession rather than linear in many wetlands -->Paleosoil data suggests succession takes 10,000s of years
