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Wetland Ecosystems A Unit Overview Mr. E. Larson Essential Questions Can you describe the living and non-living components of a wetland ecosystem? Can you identify the interactions among the components of an ecosystem? Can you recognize and describe a variety of wetland ecosystems? Can you identify some plants and animals found in a wetland? Can you recognize and describe lifecycles of some plants and animals? Can you identify and describe adaptations made by plants and animals for life in the wetlands? Essential Questions Do you understand that all plants and animals have an important role in the wetlands? Can you identify the roles of different organisms in the food web? Producers, Consumers and Decomposers? Can you draw a food chain and food web diagram? Can you identify how different organisms breathe? Can you identify the impact humans have on the wetland? Can you identify ways humans can preserve and enhance the wetlands? Do you understand how the environment effects the wetlands? What is a wetland? Wetlands are areas that are too wet to be considered land but not wet enough to be considered lakes. They have poor drainage for the soil and no clear banks or beds like lakes. Wetlands can be permanent (there all year like ponds) or temporary (there once in a while like puddles) A more scientific definition A wetland is an area of land which is saturated with water long enough to have poorly drained soil. There needs to be significant interaction of living and non-living things, which contribute to the conditions of the water, land, and soil. The depth of the water does not exceed 6 meters. They do not have well defined beds and banks. There are five main types of wetlands found in Alberta; bog, fen, swamp, marsh (slough), and pond. Bog A bog is the most common type of wetland found in Northern Canada. They are acidic. They are primarily made up of water but have a lot vegetation. Fen They are similar to bogs, but they are not acidic. They are fed by rain water and are primarily made up of mosses. Swamp In a swamp, the water is standing or gently flowing between trees and wooded areas. They are also known as wetlands forests or wooded wetlands. They may form along the shores of rivers or lakes. Marsh (slough) These are wetlands that have standing or slowmoving water. Soft stemmed plants surround them. Plants have their roots in the water and their stems and leaves out of the water. They are found in grassy meadows with shrubs or trees nearby. Pond A body of water that is smaller than a lake. A pond is smaller, shallower and has more vegetation in and around it. They can be natural or man-made. How is a lake different from a wetland? A pond is usually an older lake. Lakes gradually get older over time. As they get older, they have more vegetation growing in and around them. They also become shallower, as the water begins to evaporate over time. Ecosystems An ecosystem is made up of all of the living and non-living things in an area. Living things are all plants and animals in an area. Non-living things include air, soil, water, sunlight, rocks, chemicals in soil, dead matter and wind, etc. Wetland Ecosystems All living and non-living things in an ecosystem interacts. A wetland ecosystem is all biotic and abiotic components that are found in and around a wetland Abiotic means non-living things, Biotic means living things. Classification All living things can be classified into two categories. Plants and animals. Plants are called producers Animals are classified into either mollusks, crustaceans, insects, arachnids, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Plants A plant is an organism that takes energy from the sun and converts it into food. Plants are producers, which means they produce their own food. Plants include all vegetation, basically anything that is green. Plants include all plant life and trees. Types of Trees Trees are classified into two categories. Coniferous- which are trees that keep their leaves all year round. Deciduous- which are trees that loose their leaves in the fall. Coniferous Trees Deciduous Trees Animals All animals can be divided into these categories: Mullusc Amphibian Crustacean Reptile Arachnid Birds Fish Mammal Mollusks (Molluscs) A mollusk is an animal that does not have a backbone. It has a soft body without segments and usually has a hard shell covering its body. Examples are squid, octopus, clams, snails Crustaceans A crustacean is an animal that does not have a backbone. It has jointed legs, a hard shell (an external skeleton) and two sets of antennae. They include lobsters, crabs, shrimp Insects An insect is an animal that does not have a backbone. Its body is divided into three parts. A head, thorax, and abdomen. It has six legs and usually two or four wings. It has one set of antennae. Arachnids An arachnid is an animal that does not have a backbone. It has eight walking legs, no antennae or wins. Usually its body is divided into two parts. Spiders are arachnids. Fish A fish is a coldblooded animal that has a backbone. It uses gills to breath oxygen in water. They have fins and usually scales. Amphibians An amphibian is a cold-blooded animal with a backbone. It begins its life living in water, breathing with gills. Later in life, it grows lungs and can live on land. Examples are Frogs, toads, salamanders Reptiles A reptile is a coldblooded animal that has a backbone. Its body is covered in scales. It has lungs and breathes air. Examples are lizards, snakes, turtles, alligators and crocodiles Birds A bird is a warmblooded animal with a backbone. It lays eggs and has feathers covering the body. It has wings and is able to fly. Mammals A mammal is a warmblooded animal with a backbone. Females have a gland to produce milk to feed their young. They are mostly covered in hair. There are many types of mammals, from beavers, rats, wolves and foxes. More Classification All living organisms can be classified into three main categories: Producers Consumers Decomposers Producers Producers are organisms that produce their own food. Most producers are plants Photosynthesis This the process in which plants produce their own food. They take in the sun’s light, use water and carbon dioxide to produce food energy (a sugar carbohydrate) and oxygen. Plants produce oxygen for us to breathe. They use chlorophyll to produce food, it is the green part of the plant. Consumers Consumers are organisms that have to eat other organisms to get energy. They cannot produce their own food. Consumers are grouped into three categories. Herbivores, Omnivores and Carnivore. Herbivores These are consumers who only eat plants. Carnivores Carnivores are consumers that only eat other consumers. They only eat meat. Omnivores Omnivores are consumers that eat plants, but they also eat other consumers. Food Pyramid Decomposers Decomposers are organisms that break down dead material into nutrients. Decomposers are organisms like worms, fungi, moss, lichen, maggots. Parts of a Pond Emergent Zone- all plants that grow outside of the water. Submerging Zone- all plants that grow under the water Life Cycles A life cycle is the stages in an organisms life.Most organism start as an egg- move to young, then to an adult. Other organism go through metamorphosis- which is a change from young to adult, where the body changes form. Example a butterfly. Life cycle of a Butterfly Life Cycle of a Frog Life Cycle of a Dragonfly Plant Life Cycles Most plants go from seed, to plant. The plant is physically the same, but at it grows older, it grows larger. Basically, a young plant is a smaller version of a adult plant Adaptations Many organisms have special adaptations so that they can survive in the wetlands. An adaptations is a change in an organisms body that helps them survive in and around the wetlands. Types of Adaptations Locomotion- the act or power of moving from one place to another. Structural Support- act or power of holding it up. Stomata- small opening on leaves that give off gases. Nocturnal- animals that are active at night Pincer- a claw Predator- animal that eats other animals Parasite- an organism that lives in or on other organisms. Identify the adaptation Animal Adaptations Beaver- tail to help build dam, swim. Teeth to chew down trees. Oily fur that is waterproof. Trout- Fins for swimming, gills for breathing Mosquito- mouth that is like a needle to pierce skin and suck up blood Crow- hollow bones for flying. Pointy beak to find food. Plant Adaptations Plants have adaptations too. They grow taller to reach sunlight. Some have larger leaves in darker areas or wetter environments for photosynthesis. Some plants grow long, shallow roots Food Web All organism need to get energy to survive. Plants (producers) get energy from the sun and from water. Consumers get energy from what they eat. Decomposers get energy from the what has died. Food Web Food Web Food Chain All organisms are connected in a food chain or web. An animal relies on another organism to survive Food Chains Examples of a food Chains mosquito Leech frog Snake Red Winged Blackbird Fox Conservation Why is it important to conserve the wetlands? They are a very important part the Earth’s ecosystem What does conservation mean? Conservation means to preserve or save. Benefits of the Wetlands The Wetlands filter pollution from the land and soil The wetlands provide oxygen for a wide variety of organisms. The wetlands provide for many, many organisms.