Wetlands Midterm

Hydrophyte

Vegetation that is adapted to live in wet conditions

Vernal pool

Depressions in landscape that fill with groundwater seasonally

Facultative

Species adapted to wet and dry conditions

Obligate

Species that survive in only wet conditions

Legacy sediment

Fertile precolonial soil caused by erosion runoff from accumulation in dams; seen in darker soils on stream banks

Scientific

____ definition of a wetland that facilitates classification, inventory, and research

Regulatory

____ definition of a wetland that can be legally binding; has to be very specific and attribute-based; more specific than the other definition

Billabong

Australian term for riparian wetland that is periodically flooded

Bog

Peat-accumulating wetland with no significant inflows or outflows; supports acidophilic mosses; water is ONLY from rainfall; highly acidic because of mosses releasing acidic compounds; organisms do not decompose easily

Bottomland

Lowland among streams and rivers; periodically flooded

Fen

Water is accumulated via groundwater; has acidic mosses but bedrock neutralizes the acidic compounds; alkaline

Peatland

Wetlands that accumulate decayed plant matter

Pothole

Shallow marsh-like ponds formed by glaciers carving the landscape

Riparian

Wet area adjacent to streams and rivers

Sedge meadow

Very shallow wetlands dominated by various sedge species

Swamp

Wetland dominated by trees or shrubs

Marsh

Wetland dominated by grasses

Mangrove

Subtropical or tropical wetland dominated by halophytic vegetation growing in brackish to saline tidal waters

Tidal salt marsh

• Plants and animals adapted to the stress of salinity

• Periodic inundation

• High temperature extremes

• Grasses and herbaceous vegetation

  • Plant species including cattails, bulrush, phragmites, etc.

Tidal freshwater marsh

• Influence of tides, but lack the stress of salinity

• Act as “buffers”, protecting against shoreline erosion and consuming excess nutrients before they reach estuaries and oceans

• Provide habitat for clams, crabs, fish, and various migratory waterfowl species

Mangrove wetlands

• Tidal salt marsh replaced by mangroves in subtropical and tropical regions (hot weather)

Freshwater marsh

• No salinity

• Emergent soft-stemmed aquatic plants (cattails, arrowheads, reeds, grasses, sedges, etc)

• Shallow water regime

• Shallow peat deposits

Peatland

• Contains deep organic peat deposits

• Coniferous

Bog

• In old glacially-carved lake basins

• Nutrient deficient due to lack of rainfall

• Biological adaptations to address deficiency (like pitcher plants)

• Acidic

Fen

• Nutrient rich due to groudwater

• Alkaline

Palustrine

USFWS classification by biotic factors

• Nontidal freshwater wetlands dominated by persistent herbs, shrubs, and/or trees (marshes and swamps)

• Also including ponds and associated aquatic beds

Riverine

USFWS classification by biotic factors

• Freshwater rivers, streams, and non-persistent vegetated wetlands within their banks (including those along tidal rivers, e.g. wild rice marshes)

• Flowing water

Lacustrine

USFWS classification by biotic factors

• Lakes and reservoirs, including non-persistent vegetated wetlands within their shorelines (e.g. aquatic beds)

• Stagnant water

Estuarine

USFWS classification by biotic factors

• Estuaries (semi-enclosed tidal bays and tidal rivers where freshwater mixes with seawater) and associated vegetated and nonvegetated wetlands (e.g. salt and brackish marshes and tidal flats)

Marine

USFWS classification by biotic factors

• Open ocean and associated shorelines (e.g. intertidal beaches and rocky shores)

Terrene

USFWS classification by abiotic factors

• Isolated wetlands, headwater outflow wetlands, and wetlands along streams but not subject to overflow due to their elevation

Lotic

USFWS classification by abiotic factors

• Flowing water

• Wetlands along rivers and streams

• Subject to periodic overflows (e.g. floodplains), including freshwater tidal wetland

Lentic

USFWS classification by abiotic factors

• Wetlands in the basins of lakes and reservoirs where their hydrology is greatly affected

Ombrotrophic

Ecosystems receiving water from only precipitation

Hydroperiod

“Heartbeat” of a wetland

• seasonal pattern of water level

• hydrologic signature

• sum of inflows and outflows

• dictates physiochemical environment and vegetative species

Residence/detention time

Amount of time a particle of water spends in a wetland

Tipping bucket

Used to measure precipitation

Snow pillow

Used to measure snowfall amounts and melt

Thermometer

Used to measure air temperature

Humidity sensor

Used to measure humidity

Anemometer

Used to measure wind speed

Direction sensor

Used to measure wind direction

Radiation sensor

Used to measure solar radiation

Discharge wetlands

Wetlands created due to inflowing groundwater

Recharge wetlands

Wetlands that lose water to the water table

Flow-through wetlands

Wetlands that receive and release groundwater

Evapotranspiration

Loss of water due to evaporation and transpiration

O Horizon

Organic layer in a soil profile; very dark, consisting of plant litter and humus

A Horizon

Organic and mineral layer in a soil profile just below O horizon; dark; topmost SOIL layer

E Horizon

Mineral layer in a soil profile, organic matter has not reached this far down; white appearance due to clay particles and other chemical leeching; not always seen

B Horizon

Mineral layer in a soil profile where leached material accumulates, dictating color

C Horizon

Least weathered layer in a soil profile; made up of just rocks

45

Ideal composition % of minerals in soil

5

Ideal composition % of organics in soil

20-30

Ideal composition % range of water in soil

20-30

Ideal composition % range of air in soil

Dark

Color of soil where organic matter is present

Red-brown

Color of soil where iron oxides are present

White

Color of soil where carbonates (e.g. calcite) are present

Gray/green

Color of soil where reduced iron oxides are present

Black

Color of soil where manganese oxides are present

Green

Color of soil where glauconites are present

Hue

Munsell system

Distinguishes colors from one another

Value

Munsell system

How light or dark the soil color is

Chroma

Munsell system

Indicates the strength or weakness of a color

Sand

Class of soil

• 0.05-2 mm

• Gritty

• Visible to naked eye

• Low surface area - hold little water

• Non-cohesive

Silt

Class of soil

• 0.002-0.05 mm

• Quartz dominant

• Smooth or silky

• Pores are smaller, holds more water

Clay

Class of soil

• <0.002 mm

• Large surface area - high capacity to absorb water

Histosols

Organic wetland soils

• Accumulation of large amounts of organic matter

• Slow decomposition of organic matter because of anaerobic conditions

• Black to dark brown in color

Aerobic

High or moderate oxygen content

Anaerobic

Low or negligible oxygen content

Subtidal

Modifier for wetland classification

Substrate permanently flooded with tidal water

Depressional

Geomorphic setting of a wetland

Wetlands in depressions that typically receive most moisture from precipitation

Extensive peatlands

Geomorphic setting of a wetland

Peat substrate isolates wetland from mineral substrate; peat dominates movement and storage of water and chemicals

Riverine

Geomorphic setting of a wetland

Linear strips in landscape; subject predominantly to unidirectional surface flow

Fringe

Geomorphic setting of a wetland

Estuarine and lacustrine wetland with bidirectional surface flow

Tolerators

Plants which possess functional modifications to survive inundation

Regulators

Plants which avoid water stress or modify it to minimize effects

Aerenchyma tissue

Plant adaptation where plants have more “air space” in their tissue

• Only in flood TOLERANT plants, not flood SENSITIVE

• Roots don’t depend on oxygen from soil, they get it from the air

Adventitious roots

Plant adaptation where plants have prop roots growing from non-root tissue

• For anchoring

• Provide additional water and nutrient absorption in flooded conditions

Stem hypertrophy

Plant adaptation where the stem/trunk is swelled

• E.g. buttress roots

Fluted trunk

Plant adaptation to provide additional support in waterlogged soil

Rapid vertical growth

Plant adaptation which aids in getting photosynthetic tissue out of the dark

• Useful in anoxic environments

Shallow root system

Plant adaptation where roots are close to the atmosphere, above the anoxic zone

Lenticles

Plant adaptation where “lumps” form on stems above the water level

• Allows for gas exchange

Pneumatophores

Plant adaptation where lumps protrude from roots above water level

• Allows for gas exchange

• Or “cypress knees”

Pressurized gas flow

Physiological plant adaptation where air moves into leaves and is forced down to roots through aerenchyma

• Allows plants to live deeper in water and tolerate prolonged flooding

• However, roots become “leaky” and oxygen diffuses outward into soil

Rhizospheric oxygenation

Physiological plant adaptation where oxygen diffuses out of roots

• Soluble, reduced ions (e.g. Mn, Fe) are oxidized

Decreased water uptake

Physiological plant adaptation where root metabolism is slowed and stomata are close in non-wetland plants

Bryophyta

Mosses, liverworts

• Non-vascular

• Dispersal via spores

Pteridophyta

Ferns, horsetails, clubmosses

• Vascular

• Dispersal via spores

Gymnosperms

Conifers, cycads

• Vascular

• Dispersal via seeds

Angiosperms

Flowering plants

• Vascular

• Dispersal via seeds

Rooted floating

Wetland plant lifeform where roots are in the substrate, but most leaves and flowers float on water surface

• e.g. yellow cow lily

Rooted submerged

Wetland plant lifeform where roots are in the substrate and most leaves and stems are underwater

• aka submergent

• e.g. broad waterweed

Non-rooted floating

Wetland plant lifeform where plant is not rooted at all

• e.g. lesser duckweed

Emergent

Wetland plant lifeform where plant is rooted and most growth arises above the water surface

• e.g. broadleaf cattail

Persistent

Wetland plant lifeform where plant form remains intact following winter dormancy

Non-persistent

Wetland plant lifeform where plant does not remain intact following winter dormancy