Wetland Environments - Grade 5 & 6 Science
What is special about marshes?
shallow water with grasslike plants
What is a wetland?
A land area that is covered with a shallow layer of water during some or all of the year.
What size can wetlands be?
As small as a ditch or as big as a small state.
Coastal Wetlands have what type of water?
Both fresh and saltwater.
Name two important things that wetlands do:
Control flooding Provide habitats
What kind of forests grow in salt water marshes?
Mangrove forests
What are the three common types of freshwater wetlands?
Marshes Swamps Bogs
Why are wetlands important?
Provide plant and animal habitats. They provide food sources for us, like cranberries and rice. Filter/clean the water Control flooding Keep climate more moderate.
What is the world's largest wetland?
The Pantanal Swamp-- 58,000 square miles (about the size of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine all together)
The Pantanal is home to about _______________________ plant species, ______________bird species, ___________ fish species, _________ mammals, ______________ amphibians and ______________ reptiles.
The Pantanal is home to about 3,500 plant species, 656 bird species, 325 fish species, 159 mammals, 53 amphibians and 98 reptiles.
What is special about bogs?
They formed in depressions left from the ice age. Water is acidic and usually just mosses grow.
What is special about swamps?
Wet areas that have trees and shrubs growing. Usually in warm, humid climates.