Cw25099

From Environmental Technology

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(a) Wetlands: the transitional link between the water and the land. Wetlands are characterized by: their vegetation, and wether or not they have standing or flowing water. Types of wetlands: marshes, swamps, bogs and similar areas found between dry land and water along the edges of streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, and coastlines.

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(b) Functions of wetlands: Wetlands Protect and Improve Water Quality. Healthy wetlands remove and retain excessive nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, from the water. Wetlands Help Control Flooding and Erosion. Wetlands often have been referred to as natural sponges that absorb flooding waters.

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(c) Forests once covered 95 percent of the watershed. Today, they cover about 60 percent,(35 percent as been lost), performing vital functions that benefit water and air quality. More than 50 major tree species and more than 2,700 different plant species grow in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

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(d) Protect Water Quality, create Habitat for Fish and Wildlife, improve Air Quality, encourage Recreation,and contribute to the Economy.

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(e)Autotrophs: Plants and some bacteria can produce their own food through a process known as photosynthesis. Using energy from the sun, carbon dioxide and water are combined to form high-energy organic compounds. These organic compounds and other necessary chemicals form a plant's cellular structure, allowing it to grow. Because of this ability to use carbon dioxide and sunlight to produce their own food, plants are called autotrophs or self-feeders. They are the primary food producers. All other organisms must feed, directly or indirectly, on organic material produced by plants.

Heterotrophs: Animals cannot process carbon via photosynthesis. Instead, they acquire carbon by eating the organic matter contained in plant and animal tissue or dissolved in water. The animal breaks this organic material down into com-ponents it can use for energy and growth. Animals are -heterotrophs or other-feeders.

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(f) Phytoplankton are being used as indicators of environmental conditions within the Bay because their populations are especially sensitive to changes in nutrient levels and other water quality conditions. A good picture of the current conditions in the Bay can be derived by looking at phytoplankton indicators such as chlorophyll, primary production rates, biomass and species composition. Zooplankton, like phytoplankton, make excellent indicators of environmental conditions within the Bay, because they are sensitive to changes in water quality. They respond to low dissolved oxygen, high nutrient levels, toxic contaminants, poor food quality or abundance and predation. A good picture of the current conditions in the Bay can be derived by looking at zooplankton indicators such as their biomass, abundance and species diversity. Plankton help to brake down things so if they were to all go away our water would be a lot worse off.

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(g) Wetlands provide critical water quality and ecological benefit for fish and bird populations in the Bay and its watershed. Wetlands, and their function, are being lost due to sea-level rise, land-use change, and invasive species. Improve information on the water-quality function of wetlands in stream corridors and near-shore estuary settings; Address factors causing the loss of wetlands and techniques for their conservation and restoration; and Document the relation of wetlands habitat to the health of fish and bird populations. Yes, there have been other areas that heve been affected by deteriorating wetlands. The Surface Elevation Table (SET), a portable mechanical leveling device for measuring the relative elevation of wetland sediments. The SET Web site presents information on its purpose, design, and use. It is specifically designed to be a forum for researchers in wetland science who use or might use the device. Anyone who wants to learn more about research techniques and their development should visit the site as well.