The Biology of Freshwater Wetlands
Arnold G. van der Valk
Abstract
Global wetlands exhibit significant differences in both hydrology and species composition, and range from moss-dominated arctic peatlands to seasonally flooded tropical floodplains. They are increasingly recognised for the important services that they provide to both the environment and human society such as wildlife and fish production, nutrient filtering, and carbon sequestration. A combination of low oxygen levels and dense plant canopies present particular challenges for organisms living in this aquatic habitat. This book discusses the universal environmental and biological features of wet ... More
Global wetlands exhibit significant differences in both hydrology and species composition, and range from moss-dominated arctic peatlands to seasonally flooded tropical floodplains. They are increasingly recognised for the important services that they provide to both the environment and human society such as wildlife and fish production, nutrient filtering, and carbon sequestration. A combination of low oxygen levels and dense plant canopies present particular challenges for organisms living in this aquatic habitat. This book discusses the universal environmental and biological features of wetland habitats, with an emphasis on wetland plants and animals and their adaptations. It also describes the functional features of wetlands — primary production, litter decomposition, food webs, and nutrient cycling — and their significance locally and globally. The future of wetlands is examined, including the potential threats of global climate change and invasive species, as well as their restoration and creation.
Keywords:
global wetlands,
hydrology,
species composition,
arctic peatlands,
tropical floodplains,
wildlife,
fish production,
nutrient filtering,
carbon sequestration,
low oxygen levels
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2012 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780199608942 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: December 2013 |
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199608942.001.0001 |
Authors
Affiliations are at time of print publication.
Arnold G. van der Valk, author
Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University
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