Bog peat accumulating wetland, no significant in/outflow, supports bryophytes. Marsh Frequently/permanently flooded, supports emergent vegetation

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1 Wetland Ecology Wetlands of the World Extent of the world s wetlands 7 10 million km 2 ~ 5 to 8 percent of land surface North America 43.6 million ha. (lower 48) 71 million ha. in Alaska 127 million ha. in Canada 30 % of world s wetlands All are impacted by humans but remain functional Wetlands include: Swamps Bogs Marshes Mires Fens Every continent except Antarctica (from tropics tundra) Definitions Swamp Tree/shrub dominated wetland Bog peat accumulating wetland, no significant in/outflow, supports bryophytes Marsh Frequently/permanently flooded, supports emergent vegetation Mire Synonymous with any peat accumulating wetland (Europe) Fen Peat accumulating wetland, receives drainage from mineral soil, marsh-like vegetation Peatland Wetlands that accumulate organic matter Slough A swamp/shallow lake system in north/midwest (slowly flowing shallow swamp/marsh in southeast U.S.) Worldwide Wetland Losses North America Wetland Changes 53% have been lost since 1780 s 1980 s States with > 80% loss Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio + California Collectively a loss of 14.1 million ha in 200 yrs

2 What caused this loss? States with highest densities of wetlands Minnesota, Illinois, Louisiana, and Florida had greatest rate of loss of total area. 2.6, 2.8, 3.0, & 3.8 million ha respectively Canadian Wetland Changes Less population density % loss near Atlantic & Pacific regions 71% loss in the lower Great Lakes 71% loss in the prairie pothole region North America Florida Everglades from Lake Okeechobee Florida Bay has 3 major types of wetlands 34,000km 2 area The Everglades Big Cypress Swamp Coastal Mangroves Everglades Dominated by Cladium jamaicense (sawgrass) Can be flooded >1m in summer Common tree islands (hammocks) Hardwoods, palms, orchids, and other air plants common Big Cypress Swamp Expansive area Dominated by Taxodium spp. interspersed with pine flatwoods & wet prairie 125 cm of rainfall/yr. Coastal Mangrove Forms impenetrable thickets where sawgrass and cypress swamps meet saline waters of the Atlantic Everglades is the site of the largest wetland restoration project ever conducted ½ lost to agriculture 8 billion dollar effort Okefenokee Swamp

3 Means Land of Trembling Earth Atlantic Coastal Plain of southeastern GA. 1,750km 2 Headwaters of two rivers: Suwanee River St. Mary s River Six major wetland communities comprise the Okefenokee Pond Cypress Forest Emergent & Aquatic bed prairie Broad-Leaved Evergreen forest Broad-leaved shrub wetland Mixed cypress forest Black gum forest Taxodium distichum, Nyssa sylvatica, Magnolia virginiana are the dominant trees Panicum, Carex, & Nymphaea are dominant herbaceous plants Carolina Pocosins Mean swamp on a hill Evergreen shrub-bogs found on Atlantic Coastal Plain: Virginia northern Florida Typically nutrient poor; were once categorized as bogs in 1954 survey Pinus serotina is dominant pine Said to grow on waterlogged, acid, nutrient poor, sandy or peaty soils located on flat topographic plateaus, usually removed from large streams Great Dismal Swamp Northern most southern swamp Once primarily bald-cypress gum swamp that contained extensive stands of Chamaecyparis thyoides (white cedar) Lake Drummond found in center of swamp George Washington built a canal to establish farms on the basin Failed miserably Swamp Rivers of the South Atlantic Coast Cut by large rivers that drain the Piedmont

4 Roanoke, Chowan, Little Pee Dee, Great Pee Dee, Lynches, Black, Santee, Congaree, Altamaha, Cooper, Edisto, Combahee, Coosawhatchie, & Savannah Made up of several lake-wetland systems > 500,000 of these Suggested to be made from meteor showers, wind or groundwater flow Congaree Swamp in S.C. includes the world s largest virgin cypress-tupelo swamp Prairie Potholes North Dakota, South Dakota, & Minnesota Manitoba, Saskatchewan, & Alberta Only 10% of original wetlands remain Formed by glacial action Know for waterfowl habitat and ties nicely with the Mississippi River as major summer breeding area Migratory waterfowl fly by us to reach wintering grounds 50 75% of waterfowl come from this region Nebraska Sandhills & Great Plains Playas Largest stabilized dune field in the Western Hemisphere Much has been lost to agriculture 25,000 playas (Spanish for beach) The Great Black Swamp Northwestern Ohio Named for the rich, black muck in poorly-drained areas Louisiana Delta One of the most wetland-rich regions of the world Atchafalaya River is characteristic of the riverine portion Has long history of human intervention Freshwater & Saltwater wetlands are decreasing at a rapid rate ~ km 2 /yr What is the cause of this? Plan 2050 will sink billions of dollars into rebuilding barrier islands lost due to dredging and levee control i.e. sediment losses San Francisco Bay One of the most impacted wetlands in the U.S.

5 95% of marshes have been destroyed Dominated by Spartina foliosa and Salicornia virginica Demise began after the gold rush Great Lakes Wetlands/St. Lawrence Lowlands Important habitat for waterfowl Snow geese leading to decline of marshes Mexico Wetlands Underrepresented in # and area of Ramsar wetlands Only 7 sites designated in 2001 Now 65 Ramsar sites covering 5.3 million ha Cuatro Ciénegas is one of driest areas in Chihuhuan Desert but contains 200 springs Pozas (small springs) Lagunaas (larger spring-fed lakes) Playa Lakes (lakes without outlets) Ciénegas (shallow swamps) Manmade channels Central & South America Orinoco River Delta The Llanos The Pantanal The Amazon Oronoco River Delta Economy based on cattle farming, cacao and palm heart canning. Grazing & illegal hunting have decimated area s flora & fauna The Llanos Sedimentary basin Winter wet season and summer dry season Pantanal Wetland dominated by savanna grasslands & scattered palms rather than floodplain forests One of the largest wetlands of the world

6 Geographic center of South America 4x size of the Everglades Bird richest wetland in the world 463 species of birds 13 species of herons & egrets 3 stork species 6 ibis species 6 duck species 11 rail species 5 kingfisher species Jabiru found here (largest bird in the western hemisphere Largest rodent found here Amazon Wetlands cover 25% of the 7million km 2 Amazon basin Flooding reaches 15m in some areas Europe Mediterranean Sea Deltas Rhone River Delta The Camargue one of the world s 25 major flamingo nesting sites Rhine River in the Netherlands is the most hydraulically controlled locations on Earth Inland Deltas Volga River (on edge of Caspian Sea) forms one of the largest inland deltas Large percentage of the world s sturgeon comes from the Caspian Sea Peatlands in Ireland, Scandinavia, Finland, & northern Russia ~20% of Europe Endla & Berezinski Bog are best examples Okavango Delta is divided into 3 hydrologic zones Permanent swamp Seasonally flooded floodplains Occasional floodplains 71 species of fish found here

7 Congolian Swamp Forests Largest / least studied swamp forest in world Congo River has 2 nd highest flow of any river Forests remain because of isolation Lowland gorilla Forest elephants Forest buffalo Middle East Mesopotamian Marshlands of southern Iraq & Iran Tigris & Euphrates rivers Dams & drainage systems have eliminated flood-pulses essential for wetland maintenance Australia / New Zealand Billabongs Not permanent (intermittent & seasonal) Asia Western Siberian Lowlands Peatlands important for carbon sequestration Indian Freshwater Marshes Many natural disasters due to anthropogenic manipulation Asian River Deltas Mud flats, swamp forests, arctic tundra & mangrove forests China Many are artificial (rice paddies) & fish ponds

Curriculum Pacing Guide Grade/Course 5 Th Grade Geography Grading Period 1 st Nine Weeks

2013-2014 Curriculum Pacing Guide Grade/Course 5 Th Grade Grading Period 1 st Nine Weeks Time Frame Unit/ photographs, pictures, and tables to Locate and identify: Continents and Oceans -North America