Name: Yuzhu Gong Due Date: 2015/10/03
Article Title: Wetlands
Author/Source: Scientific American
Article Title: Wetlands
Author/Source: Scientific American
A: List major ideas, concepts or key points - point by point
- Wetlands are shallow-water systems or areas where water is at o near the surface for the same time and central to the life cycle of many plants and animals, some of them endangered.
- Wetlands vary widely because of regional and local differences in soils, topography, climate, hydrology, water chemistry, vegetation, and other factors, including human disturbance.
- Hydrophytes are plants adapted to flooding. The hydrophytes and hydric soils develop colors and odors that distinguish them from upland soil when flooded.
- Most wetlands along rivers and coastlines as well as those that formed in depressions in the landscape are long-lived precisely because of events that people consider economically devastating.
- Droughts temporarily destroy hydrophytic vegetation and allow oxidation and compaction of organic soils.
- Wetland encompasses an array of shallow-water and saturated soil environments that possess some elements of a terrestrial system and some of an aquatic system.
- The difference between wetland and deep-water aquatic systems is their sensitivity to the effects of water-level changes.
- Alterations in their water levels give rise to a series of ecological niches that can support terrestrial, partially aquatic and fully aquatic plants and animals.
- Vertical gradients caused by differing depths of water and saturation create additional environmental variation.
- Fluctuating water levels not only influence the internal character of a wetland, but also link wetlands to one another and to other aquatic systems.
- Wetlands can serve as reproductive or feeding sites for some species only if they are connected with other waterways. Moreover, the incoming water brings nutrients and sediments that can make the system more productive.
- The dependence of many wetlands on contiguous water systems makes them especially vulnerable to even minor human activity.
- Increased amounts of sediment, nutrients and pesticides from watersheds undergoing development can drastically alter the biological makeup of a wetland and overload its ability to purge pollutants if they are added beyond the wetland’s ability to assimilate them.
- Watershed development and diversions that decrease the freshwater flow of rivers similarly threaten many estuarine wetlands by reducing the quantity of freshwater and increasing salinity.
- The HR 1330 proposal would allow a landowner to select the time of year during which to decide whether or not a particular area constitutes a wetland.
B: Summarize the author's main point or idea
Summary of Author's Main Points:
Wetlands are important to human due to several reasons. First, they can moderate climatic change by acting as a sink for the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Second, they are the sources of lucrative harvests of wild rice, fur bearing animals. Third, they can limit the damaging effects of waves, convey and store flood waters, trap sediment and reduce pollution. All in all, they are the nature's kidneys. Wetlands are lands where saturation with water is the dominant factor determining the nature of soil development and the types of plant and animal communities living in the soil and on its surface. Wetland's complex dynamics of wetlands complicate efforts to create policies for preserving them, although the kinds and locations of wetlands vary greatly, the fluctuating water levels are central to all wetlands and their sensitivity to the effects of water-level changes. Adjustments in water levels give rise to a series of ecological niches that can support both aquatic and terrestrial realms that can differ wetlands from deep-water systems.
Now, everybody knows that the importances of wetlands, therefore, we should protect them from disappearing, but the wetlands are under threats of humans and natural disasters. The increased amounts of sediments, nutrients and pesticide in watersheds undergoing development can intensely change the biological structure of the wetland and overload its ability to purge pollutants, so the wetland has too many floods, then it starts to disappear. The watershed development and divisions decrease the fluctuating water levels which threaten wetlands by reducing the quantity of freshwater and increasing salinity. The drought can destroy hydrophytic vegetation and water flow in wetlands. The hydrophytes and hydric soils develop colors and odors that distinguish them from upland soils when flooded. The hydrophytes are the plants adapted to flooding. People are trying to make laws to preserve the wetlands because it plays an importan role in the ecosystem.
Summary of Author's Main Points:
Wetlands are important to human due to several reasons. First, they can moderate climatic change by acting as a sink for the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Second, they are the sources of lucrative harvests of wild rice, fur bearing animals. Third, they can limit the damaging effects of waves, convey and store flood waters, trap sediment and reduce pollution. All in all, they are the nature's kidneys. Wetlands are lands where saturation with water is the dominant factor determining the nature of soil development and the types of plant and animal communities living in the soil and on its surface. Wetland's complex dynamics of wetlands complicate efforts to create policies for preserving them, although the kinds and locations of wetlands vary greatly, the fluctuating water levels are central to all wetlands and their sensitivity to the effects of water-level changes. Adjustments in water levels give rise to a series of ecological niches that can support both aquatic and terrestrial realms that can differ wetlands from deep-water systems.
Now, everybody knows that the importances of wetlands, therefore, we should protect them from disappearing, but the wetlands are under threats of humans and natural disasters. The increased amounts of sediments, nutrients and pesticide in watersheds undergoing development can intensely change the biological structure of the wetland and overload its ability to purge pollutants, so the wetland has too many floods, then it starts to disappear. The watershed development and divisions decrease the fluctuating water levels which threaten wetlands by reducing the quantity of freshwater and increasing salinity. The drought can destroy hydrophytic vegetation and water flow in wetlands. The hydrophytes and hydric soils develop colors and odors that distinguish them from upland soils when flooded. The hydrophytes are the plants adapted to flooding. People are trying to make laws to preserve the wetlands because it plays an importan role in the ecosystem.
C: Reaction to the Article
My Own Thoughts on the Topic:
I believe that the ecosystem will be damaged with lack of wetlands in some ways. Wetlands can process the floods and floodwaters, if the wetlands are destroyed, then it will be more floods because there is not any wetlands to hold the water and keep our houses safe. Additionally, it will have an increase amount of pollutants in the water because there will be no wetlands to remove all these sediments, nutrients, and chemicals. Last, those animals and plants are already living there will have no place to live due to the absence of wetlands. People are making bill about the requirement of hydrophytic vegetation, hydric soils in every wetland because they are essentials in wetlands. I insist that the human makes this severe situation of wetlands, thus we need to start saving them immediately.
My Own Thoughts on the Topic:
I believe that the ecosystem will be damaged with lack of wetlands in some ways. Wetlands can process the floods and floodwaters, if the wetlands are destroyed, then it will be more floods because there is not any wetlands to hold the water and keep our houses safe. Additionally, it will have an increase amount of pollutants in the water because there will be no wetlands to remove all these sediments, nutrients, and chemicals. Last, those animals and plants are already living there will have no place to live due to the absence of wetlands. People are making bill about the requirement of hydrophytic vegetation, hydric soils in every wetland because they are essentials in wetlands. I insist that the human makes this severe situation of wetlands, thus we need to start saving them immediately.