Wetlands

Define food chain.

relatiorcenship between living organisms, whereby one organism is dependent on another as a food source

Define food web.

series of interconnected food chain within an ecosystem

Name and briefly describe the 10 important things about wetlands.

- Plant and animal diversity - Biological diversity - strategic refuge areas in times of drought - Nursery and breeding grounds - Buffers - reduce runoff, sediments, nutrients and contaminants entering wetlands - Catchment water quality - improves water quality downstream as water passes through the wetland it slows down, allowing sediment to settle - Flood mitigation - they detain floodwaters or runoff, which could cause erosion and flood damage - Education - Groundwater recharge - wetlands drain slowly and hence retain water that would otherwise flow away - Recreation - Foreshore protection - wetland vegetation helps to protect them from erosion

Name and define the two types of wetlands.

Coastal wetlands are wetlands that have salty water for part of or the whole year, are found in coastal regions and usually found in temperate zones (areas where there is no extreme weather (bays, lagoons, salt flats...)). The main type of coastal wetland is a mangrove swamp. Inland wetlands are wetlands covered in freshwater. They include marshes, prairie portholes, mudflats, flood plains, billabongs, bogs, wet meadows and wet arctic tundra.

Define the RAMSAR Convention.

The RASMAR Convention is a global intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. It is the only global treaty to focus on one single ecosystem.

What are they?

Wetlands are areas of land that are inundated with water on a temporary or permanent basis. The water is slow moving or stationary. The water is also shallow and fresh, brackish or saline. Some examples of wetlands are marshes, swamps, coral reefs and lakes.

Describe the spatial distribution of wetlands.

Wetlands are widely distributed around the world. There is a large expanse or concentrated wetlands in North America and are both inland and coastal. Wetlands are in almost every country.

Define decomposer.

organism that breaks down the remains of other living things

Define consumer.

organism that gains its energy requirements by eating plant or animal matter

Define producer.

organism that produces its own food via photosynthesis

Name and describe the 4 Major Geographic Processes.

• Atmospheric - air temperature is lower in mangroves and higher in salt marches - minimal wind movement in mangroves and greater wind movement salt marches - humidity is generally high - main gases in wetland environments are hydrogen sulphide, nitrogen, sulfur, nitrates, phosphates and carbon dioxide • Biotic - there is a high fauna and low flora diversity - species have adapted to the conditions of wetlands - wetland plants provide food, shelter and nest sites - frogs and aquatic insect larvae are an important source of food - flora can act as a buffer zone - mangroves convert sunlight into food energy by photosynthesis - small animals eat the detritus - these animals excrete undigested plant material - which is then recolonized by bacteria and fungi. - The cycle continues. - Larger fish and birds then eat the detritus feeders. • Geomorphic - The topography and climate of an area will influence the type of wetland - the depth of a shape of wetland is determined by the past events in the geology and formation of the land - which will inturn influence the salinity of the water and the species of flora and fauna that will survive • Hydrologic - There is freshwater, saline water of brackish water, - phosphates are higher than in other water bodies. - Water movements is slowed by vegetation. - Wetlands may have a number of sources. - Open water entering a catchment brings silt, salt and other chemicals. - This can enrich the water but too much causes algal blooms and the depletion of the dissolved oxygen in the water