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Wetlands and Estuaries: the Ecology of Ecotones

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Wetlands and Estuaries: the Ecology of Ecotones World Distribution Of Primary Productivity Wetlands and Estuaries: The Ecology Of Ecotones Ecosystem Functions And Services: 1. Wetlands serve as buffers, protecting shorelines from erosion 2.Wetlands store water during hurricanes and storms, releasing it slowly back into the estuary 3. Wetland plants can remediate nutrient overloading 4. Wetlands serve as freshwater recharge areas for municipal drinking water supplies 5. Wetlands filter polluted water 6. Wetlands provide nesting areas for migratory bird species 7. Wetlands provide spawning areas for pelagic fish species 8. Wetlands provide habitat for a wealth of crustacean life, much of which is commercially fished From: Living In The Environment Miller, 13th ed. http://hydra.gsa.gov/pbs/pt/call-in/factshet/1296/12_96_11.htm Australian Wetland Stream-Wetland Relationship 1 Wetlands Of North America Florida Everglades Wetlands Within the Continental United States Deep Water Bald Cypress Swamp Distribution Of Bald Cypress 2 The Florida Everglades “River Of Grass” Fires In The Everglades Flooding And Fire Are Defining Features Of The Cypress Swamp Everglades “River Of Grass” 3 Keystone Species Of The Everglades Cypress Epiphyte Cypress Knee* * Function unknown 4 Everglades Lilly Grand Old Osprey Keystone Species? 5 have plummeted; the number of wading birds that nest in the national the in nest that birds wading of number the plummeted; have or disturbed have areas some in drainage complete and disruption orwater-flow pollution years, 50 past the In plants. of and 900 animals of kinds 600 over supported once forests and mangrove sawgrass Everglades' The trees, of "islands" pinelands, dry fields, park has dropped by more than 90 percent. § percent. 90 morethan by has dropped park birds, of especially populations, Wild habitats. many destroyed Sapelo Island, Georgia Florida Key Deer Florida Key N =nitrogen;Pphosphorous The SouthernSaltMarsh Abundance of Animals Summary Of Ecological Relationships Relationships Ecological Summary Of Migration InAnEstuary In A Cypress Swamp InFlorida CypressSwamp In A 1 Year 6 Bounty Of The Estuary Photo: Eliot Porter Energy Flow Through A Georgia Salt Marsh Seasonality Of Phytoplankton-Zooplankton Blooms Bay Of Bengal Mangrove Swamps 7 Keystone Species Of The Mangrove Swamp Keystone Species Of The Sundarban* Trophic Relationships Of The Mangrove Estuary *estimates vary from 250 down to 35 tigers The Northern Salt Marsh 8 Long Island Salt Marsh Clamming On Long Island Sound Spartina Seedlings Northern Salt Marsh Ecology Aerenchymal Tissue Of Spartina alterniflora 9 Salt Marsh Succession Ribbed Mussels Fiddler Crab Ice Damage To An Eastern Shore Salt Marsh Ice-damaged Salt Marsh Intact Salt Marsh Spike Grass Fills In The Gaps Slender Glasswort* To The Rescue! The Most Salt-tolerant Plant Of The Salt Marsh * makes a great addition to salads! Spike Grass Is Also Salt-tolerant 10 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Ecological Impact Of Spartina Invasion Nearly a third of Willapa Bay's 45,000 acres of tide flats Impacts to Endangered Species Are infested with Spartina, an invasive salt marsh grass. *Conversion of Tidal Mudflat to Meadow *Loss of Shorebird Foraging Habitat *Loss of Critical Channel Habitat Open tide flats, without Spartina, are essential for the *Local Extinction of Native California Cordgrass survival of shorebirds, salmon, and shellfish. •Failure of Local Wetland Restoration You Can’t Please All The Ecosystems All The Time What Will Be The Ecological Consequences Of This Invasion? 11 Causes Of Loss Of Wetlands Land Use And Agriculture Mississippi Delta 1973 1989 2003 Circulation Patterns Of The Gulf Of Mexico Near The Mississippi Delta What A Difference Welcome To The Dead Zone A Week Makes The Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone and Red Tides 12 Oil And Gas Fields In Louisiana Red Tide* August 28, 2001 DUST FROM AFRICA LEADS TO LARGE TOXIC ALGAE BLOOMS IN GULF OF MEXICO, STUDY FINDS Saharan dust clouds travel thousands of miles and fertilize the water off the West Florida coast with iron, which kicks off blooms of toxic algae, according to a new study. * “They Call Alabama The Crimson Tide” (Line from a Steele Dan Song) Karenia brevis “Red Tide” Karenia brevis Dead Fish 13 What Happened To Our Salt Marsh TWO NEW REPORTS INDICATE DRAMATIC SLOWDOWN IN LOSS OF U.S. WETLANDS The Ramsar Convention's resources on Wetland Restoration http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/wetlands/vital/toc.html http://www.ramsar.org/strp_rest_appr_index.htm Useful Links Its Getting Late Great Eastern recommends the following web- Environmental Protection Agency Pages based resources: Acid Rain Program General Environmental California EPA Ecological Society of America Links Page Environmental Protection Agency, USA EnviroInfo Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (EMAP) EnvironmentalExpert.com EPA - America's Wetlands Environmental Web Directory EPA Office of Water: River Corridor & Wetlands Restoration, USA National Environmental Directory Office of Science and Technology Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds Wetland Information Federal, State and Local Government Resources 100 Top Wetland Sites Association of State Wetland Managers Wetland Links Association of State Wetland Managers Links to State Environmental Agencies Association of State Wetland Managers Links MIT and the Environment EPA - America's Wetlands State Government Environmental Resources Society of Wetland Scientists State Regulatory Agencies SWS - Wetland Related Sites WET Links Back to top WetNet - Wetland Links Restoration Global Network of Environment & Technology River Corridor and Wetland Restoration Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) SustainableBusiness.com Stream Corridor Restoration Watershed Restoration Information Centre (WRIC) Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) 14.
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