Freshwater Wetlands!
By Jake Watson
What are they?
Freshwater Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil and the ground is very wet. They are not connected to the ocean. There are many different names such as Swamp, Bog, Fen, Prairie Pothole, marsh and mire.
Wetland
Animals
These are some types of animals that can live in freshwater wetlands.
Birds
Most animals that live here have made changes. Birds have feathers coated in grease to make them water-proof. Smaller animals use the tall brush as a place to hide from predators.
Variations
Fish are mainly variations. There are not large differences
between fresh and salt fish, other than the water they live in. Although the fish that live in saltwater will have larger teeth and harder scales, there are not many differences that would make it a complete adaptation.
Adaptations.
Most animals that live here have adapted to be amphibious like turtles. They can stay underwater for long periods of time, hunting down prey and hiding from predators. Having both water and land in close vicinity helps them a lot.
Weather
Freshwater Wetlands are spread out all over the globe, taking home on every continent except for Antarctica. Because of this the Climate and weather of the wetlands change depending on were it is. Most of the worlds wetlands are in more temperate zones bringing more rainfall, and higher temperatures.
Adding or Taking away!
When you take a native organism out of and ecosystem/food web, or add an exotic species, It will disrupt the ecosystem/food web.
Removing a Native
Frogs
Frogs are a big part of any Freshwater ecosystem. They help control the insect population, while giving food to larger birds. Although most other birds will also eat fish, frogs are still a large type of their diet. It is also prey to snakes, which are eaten by birds.
Adding an Exotic
Adding Piranhas
Adding Piranhas would greatly disrupt the food chain. They would eat any fish and even be able to eat larger predators. They would eliminate many species from the ecosystem.