8.4

• wetlands: an area with soil submerged/saturated in water; wetlands have plants adapted to living with roots submerged in standing water
• Ecosystem services provided by wetlands:

  • Provisioning: habitat for animals/plants
  • Regulating: groundwater recharge, absorption of floodwater, carbon dioxide sequestration
  • Supporting: pollinator habitats, nutrient cycling, pest control
  • Cultural: tourism revenue, fishing licence, camping fees, medical research
• Threats to wetlands:

  • Pollutants: nutrients (nitrogen/phosphorus), sediment, motor oil, pesticides, endocrine disruptors
  • Development: wetlands can be filled in or drained to be developed into homes, parking lots, stores, agricultural land
  • Water diversion upstream for flood control, agriculture, drinking water can reduce water flow and dry up wetlands
  • Dam construction for flood control/ hydroelectric reduces water and sediment flow to wetlands
  • Overfishing: disrupts food web of wetlands (decrease in fish predators, increase in prey)
• Solutions to watershed pollutants:

  • Riparian buffers: planting reeds/weeds to filter pollutants
  • Septic tank upgrade
  • manure management