A wetland is an ecosystem in which land meets water or a piece of land that is covered with a thin layer of water at least part of the year ( Lisowski 1). Most wetlands in the Continental U.S. are in the upper Midwest, the southern Gulf coast, and along the Northeastern coastal states ( Liptak ). Wetlands are found all over the planet. Over half of Alaska is made up of wetlands and five percent of the lower 48 states are wetlands( Arem 347). Wetlands cover six percent of the Earth's total land mass, yet they are among the World's liveliest places. More animals depend on wetlands than any other ecosystem, except for the ocean (Staub 10). Wetlands collect water from rain, snow, and runoff from flooded rivers, lakes, and higher surfaces. They may also collect ground water from below ( Arem 346). Wetlands need woodlands and meadows nearby. The plants trap pollutants that would have gone into the water. Some birds roost in the t

We need the wetlands. They are the most productive natural ecosystem on earth. Wetlands produce great quantities of plants, some that can grow nowhere else. Many of these plants provide food, shelter, and nesting areas for wetland animals (Liptak ). Some fishermen depend on wetlands because their particular fish begins it's life there. If the fish don't have the wetlands, they will die out, which means the fishermen are in trouble (Staub 8). Whooping cranes, crocodiles and other species must have wetland habitat to survive (Hirschi, 14). Water going into wetlands is usually contaminated with something else. When the water flows into a wetland, it slows down. The pollutants settle to the bottom and collect around roots and stems. Thus, the water leaves the wetland cleaner than it entered (Arem 355). Over 1/2 of the seafood caught in the U.S. comes from wetlands, Peat is collected from bogs and sold as a burning material, wild rice grows in wetlands, and some people make their living by growing and selling cranberries, which grow in bogs (Arem 355). According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 45% of all animals and 26% of all plants on the federal endangered or threatened list depend on wetlands (Hirschi 2). Peat is released from wetlands during dry spells, which benefits any land downhill. Marshes store water which seeps down into the earth where it forms into large pools called aquifers. Aquifers provide a great deal of our drinking water (Hirschi 1,2). So many potholes have been converted into farmland that many ducks face great danger. Food is scarce in ditched potholes, and when the marshes are too dry, fires can start in

Bogs are freshwater wetlands that form in cool areas where little water flows in and out and where the soil is low in oxygen. Most bogs were formed thousands of years ago. The combination of coolness, poor drainage and low oxygen levels create unique conditions. Dead plants and animals decay slowly and over time layers of dead plant matter build up and pack together to form an acidic material called peat. Bogs are visited by many animals but few live there. Some of the visitors may include moose, deer, bears, and cranes. Oxygen and food are in short supply in bogs. Only a few specially adapted plants and animals can live there. The black spruce is commonly found in bogs because it has special roots that pull in extra oxygen. The bog plants grow on the peat or spread across the open water. Most common plants are tiny, carpet-like plants called sphagnum moss. Networks of tiny water plants weave with the moss which forms a floating mat. As the mat thickens, it can support larger plants and even trees. Orchids, which have beautiful, showy flowers grow in bogs as do cranberries. Some carnivorous plants which grow here are the floating bladderwort, sundew, and pitcher plant) also grow in bogs (Arem 350).

them, killing both eggs and ducklings. Because of this, species like the redhead and canvasback ducks are seriously endangered (Liptak 43).

Wetlands are major breeding grounds and migrating stopovers for waterfowl- ducks, geese

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Approximate Word count = 2082
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)