Wetland final bruh

What are the three required criteria for classifying an area as a wetland?

Hydric soils, hydrophytic vegetation, and wetland hydrology.

Hydric Soils

Soils that are permanently or seasonally saturated, leading to anaerobic conditions.

Hydrophytic Vegetation

Plants adapted to live in waterlogged soils, such as cattails or cypress trees.

Wetland Hydrology

The presence of water at or near the surface long enough to affect the soil and support hydrophytic plants.

Avoidance Strategies

Techniques used by plants to keep oxygen in the root system.

Hypertrophied Lenticels

Swollen areas on stems that facilitate gas exchange.

Aerenchyma

Specialized air-filled channels in stems and roots that assist in gas exchange.

Pneumatophores

Aerial roots that draw in oxygen, often referred to as 'cypress knees'.

Ethylene Production

A plant hormone released to trigger growth responses under anaerobic conditions.

Denitrification

The process of converting nitrate to nitrous oxide or nitrogen gas, which occurs only in anaerobic conditions in wetlands.

What does the Clean Water Act aim to protect?

It expanded jurisdiction to 'waters of the United States,' including wetlands.

Cowardin System

A classification system used for categorizing wetlands into systems, subsystems, classes, subclasses, and modifiers.

Palustrine

Inland freshwater wetlands, such as marshes and swamps.

National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) Map

A visual tool that shows the location of wetlands.

Water Budget

Tracks water inputs and outputs in a wetland system.

Denitrification

Conversion of nitrate to nitrous oxide or nitrogen gas, necessary anaerobic conditions.

Iron Reaction (Acid Mine Drainage)

Process where pyrite reacts with oxygen and water to form sulfuric acid and ferrous iron.

Wetland Ecosystem Services

Essential ecological services provided by wetlands, such as water quality improvement and flood storage.

Autogenic Processes

Changes within the wetland caused by internal factors, like plant growth.

Allogenic Processes

Changes caused by external factors such as floods or climate change.