By any other name…
A wetland is an area where water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface for long periods throughout the year. Wetlands, support aquatic as well as terrestrial species. Because water is present in the soil many types of plants grow here.
Some of the world’s largest wetlands are the West Siberian Lowland, Amazon River Basin and Hudson Bay Lowland. The world’s largest protected wetland is Llanos de Moxos, located in Bolivia. It is more than 17 million acres—roughly equal in size to North Dakota.
Wetlands are important because they act as filters and trap pollutants such as phosphorus and heavy metals in their soils, transform nitrogen into a simpler form making it easier for plants to take in and also break down bacteria.
Wetlands take on many forms like rivers, marshes, bogs, mangroves, mudflats, ponds, swamps and so on.
Do you think you can identify the different forms in this grid?