The Wetlands
The wetlands are areas where water covers the soil, or is present either near or at the surface of the soil all year or for different periods of time during the year, including during the growing season. Hydrology, or water saturation, determines how the soil develops and the types of animal and plant communities living in and on the soil. The wetlands may support both terrestrial and aquatic species. The prolonged presence of water creates conditions that are favorable for the growth of specially adapted plants (hydrophytes) and promotes development of characteristic wetland (hydric) soils.
The wetlands and other aquatic resources play an important role in the landscape of the environment. Those who intend to deposit or dredge fill in the wetlands or other waters of the United States must apply for permits from the Corps (or EPA-approved State) under the Clean Water Act. These permits often require compensatory mitigation – typically, the restoration of former wetlands to mitigate the effects of the wetland loss. This is consistent with the wetland program’s goal of “no net loss of wetlands”. The wetlands provide many beneficial functions, including improving and protecting the water quality, providing wildlife and fish habitat, storing floodwaters, reducing the damage associated with storm surges, such as those caused by hurricanes, and recharging underground sources of the drinking water.
The wetlands vary widely because of local and regional differences in soils, climate, topography, hydrology, vegetation, water chemistry, and other factors, including disturbances caused by humans. Indeed, the wetlands are found from the tropics to the tundra and on every continent with the exception of Antarctica. Two categories of the wetlands are recognized: tidal or coastal wetlands and inland or non-tidal wetlands.
The Wetlands and Nature – The wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, comparable to coral reefs and the rain forests. Immense varieties of species of plants, microbes, insects, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and mammals can be part of the wetland ecosystem. Physical and chemical features such as geology, climate, landscape shape (topology), and the movement and abundance of water help to determine the animals and plants that inhabit each wetland. This complex, dynamic relationship among the organisms inhabiting the wetland environment is referred to as food webs. Wetlands in North Carolina, Texas, and Alaska differ for this reason.
The wetlands can be thought of as “biological supermarkets.” They provide volumes of food that attract many animal species. Animals use the wetlands for part of or all of their life-cycle. Dead plant stems and leaves break down in the water to form small particles of enriched organic material called “detritus.” This organic material feeds many small fish, small aquatic insects, and shellfish, that are food for larger predatory mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and birds.