wetland wildlife management & ecology

RNR 4013

areas inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, under natural conditions, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions

definition of a wetland

geologic history

major factor influencing location and abiotic characteristics of wetlands

hydrogeomorphic method

system that classifies wetlands based on geomorphic setting, dominant water source, and hydrodynamics; also used for functional assessment

scroll topography/ ridge and swale

meander scars left behind as a river changes course across a floodplain

deflation

removal of loose fine-grained material through wind action

cutbank

area on the outside of a curve in a river where higher velocity causes more erosion

point bar

sandbar that forms on the inside of river curves where lower velocity allows for greater sediment deposition

hydroperiod, water budget, connectivity, variability

four components that make up hydrology

hydroperiod

seasonal pattern of the water level of a wetland

V/t = Pn + Si + Gi - ET - So - Go ± T

water budget equation

watershed

total area drained by a river system

sand

sediment that drains the best (highest infiltration)

forest

land use category with lowest runoff

urban

land use category with highest runoff

water table

uppermost surface of saturated soil zone

less than, greater than

soil porewater pressure is ___________ atmospheric pressure above saturated zone and ____________ atmospheric pressure within saturated zone

discharge wetland

surface water level is lower than water table of surrounding land and grounwater inflows to wetland

recharge wetland

water table of wetland is higher than surrounding water table and groundwater outflows from wetland into aquifer

perched wetland

wetland that is situated well above the goundwater of the area; often separated from water table by an impermeable layer such as rock or clay hardpan

discharge, arid

____________ wetlands and ________ regions are generally more saline

open basin wetland

has hydrologic outlet in the form of rivers/ streams

closed basin wetland

evaporation is the only hydrologic outlet, common in arid saline regions

hydrologic connectivity

linkage between groundwater, surface water, and biotic communities

gaining stream

river captures groundwater

losing stream

river replenishes grounwater

longitudinal connectivity

connects upstream to downstream

lateral/ vertical connectivity

connects river surfacewater to groundwater

horizontal connectivity

connects river to floodplain

temporal connectivity

flooding variability from year to year

alluvial fan

fan-shaped sediment deposition left behind when ephemeral stream slows as it moves from mountain/ canyon to valley

soil matrix

dominant soil color

mottle

contrasting colors/ spotted areas within soil

Munsell color system

classifies soil color in terms of hue, value, and chroma (saturation)

parent material, Fe & Mn presence, organic matter content

factors influencing soil color

loess

highly erodable windborne sediment deposits

bulk density

dry mass / volume

porosity

air + water volume / total volume

inversely

bulk density and porosity are ___________ related

clay

negatively charged (colloid) soil particles which can bind to water or positively charged ions (nutrients) and take longer to settle out

cohesion

the attractive force of water to itself

adhesion

the attractive force of water to solid surfaces

capillary fringe

layer above saturated zone where porewater is pulled up (rather than down, by gravity), also constitues main water available to plants

gravitational water

free water draining downwards through soil profile, found in macropores

hydroscopic water

thin film of water tightly bound to soil particles by adhesion, not available to plants

episaturation

perched water table on surface above some unsaturated zone

endosaturation

water table is saturated all the way down to aquifer

cation exchange capacity

measure of how well soil particles can hold onto nutrient cations (for plant uptake) via total negative charge

basic

more __________ soils are more negatively charged

NPK

three limiting nutrients in plants

ferric iron (Fe 3+)

oxidized iron state that has a rusty hue and is insoluble in water

ferrous iron (Fe 2+)

reduced iron state that is gray in color and water soluble

O

surface organic material horizon

A

surface mineral horizon

E

optional lighter colored horizon caused by leaching

B

subsoil horizon with greater structural development and clay accumulation

C

underlying parent material (rock) horizon

R

bedrock horizon

histosol

highly organic (>20% OM) soil

entisol

miscellaneous, geographically young soil

vertisol

clay rich soil that shrinks and swells with changes in moisture

A species

annuals with 1 year lifespan

P species

perennials with 2-3 year lifespan

V species

vegetatively reproducing perennials with indefinite lifespan

D species

dispersal-dependent species with short lived seeds

S species

seedbank species with long lived seeds and vegetative propagules

Type I species

requires drawdown for propagule establishment/ germination, emergents

Type II species

requires flooding/ standing water for germination, submergents and floating leaf aquatics

lifespan, propagule longevity, germination requirements

three life history conditions in Van der Valk model of wetland succession

emergent plants

roots and base are in wet soil, vegetative parts (leaves/ stem) extend above

floating-leaf plants

root in deep water and send broad floating leaves to surface

submergent plants

root in substrate, vegetative parts float in water column, low in lignin b/c do not require much structural support

basal meristem

plant grows from the base, found in monocots

apical meristem

plant grows from the tip, found in dicots

aerenchyma

cells that diffuse oxygen from aerial stems to roots, stimulated by ethylene and cellulase production which breaks down cell walls

hydrochory

the dispersal of seeds by water

disturbance

an event that disrupts ecosystem community structure and changes the physical environment (EX fire, flood, muskrats/ herbivory, humans, hurricane, droughts, etc.)

transient seeds

germinate within a year

persistent seeds

can remain in soil for over a year

carbohydrates, protein

waterfowl obtain ___________ from plant matter (seeds/tubers) and ___________ from invertebrates

10,000

oxygen diffusion is _________ times slower in water than in air

2.7 ppt

average sulfate concentration in seawater, as opposed to 0.1 ppt in freshwater

bulk density

saltmarshes store more soil carbon despite lower OM% b/c of higher _________________

nutrients, aeration, salinity

three soil components that predominantly determine plant zonation

fermentation

a form of anaerobic respiration where organic matter is reduced into other organic products that produces very little energy

reduced, oxidizing

specially adapted microbes can use ___________ forms as their energy source by ___________ them

negative

the reduced form of a substance has a more _________ charge

FeS

the product that forms when sulfide binds with ferrous iron; the substance is a black-colored solid which is nontoxic

elemental sulfur

the oxidation of sulfide into _____________ can produce a solid white film sometimes observed on the surface water of a wetland

sulfate

the oxidation of sulfide into ___________ when wetland soils are drained can cause highly acidic conditions

methanogenesis, long hydroperiod

the presence of a floating/ pop-up wetland, caused by _______________, is indicative of a _________ _______________

freshwater, salt

methanogenesis is more common in ____________ marshes while sulfide reduction is more common in __________ marshes (because they have higher sulfide concentrations)

oxygen, nitrate, manganese, iron, sulfate, carbon dioxide

order of terminal electron acceptors in soil microbes

detritus

broken down organic material that serves as the main substrate for invertebrates

decomposition cycle

leaching of loosely bound nutrients, microbial colonization peaks in a few days, conditioning into coarse and fine particulate organic matter, incorporated into soil to become substrate for new plants (to die and decompose)

palatable/ nutritious

microbial colonization makes litter more _________ to invertebrates

breeding season

time of life cycle when waterfowl consume the most invertebrates

longer

predatory inverts tend to have _______ life cycles

shredders

feed on vascular plant tissue (EX crustaceans)

collectors

feed on detritus (EX chironomids)

scrapers

feed on algae on plants (EX snails)