Haslam Understanding Wetlands

Fen, Bog and Marsh
Erscheinungsjahr 2004
ISBN: 978-0-203-63418-9
Verlag: Taylor & Francis
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 316 Seiten

Wetlands are an important, and sadly diminishing, habitat in many parts of the world. They contribute significantly to the planet's biodiversity, housing thousands of species of plants and animals. Increasingly, human management is required to sustain, and even create these fragile ecosystems, while global changes in climate are also taking their toll. Understanding Wetlands explains how wetlands are created naturally and how they sustain themselves. It describes how the flora and fauna of these unique habitats are ideally adapted to their environment, and how the ecosystem copes with pollutants and climatic change. The impact of human activity such as farming, building, and recreation is also assessed. The book concludes with a look at the need for conservation and various conservation techniques. This integrated and holistic account of wetlands is a valuable reference for students of ecology, biology, and environmental science. Its beautiful illustrations and accessible style also make it ideal for the general reader with an interest in the natural world.

Zielgruppe

government and environmental agency workers, biologists, researchers, students

Autoren/Hrsg.

Haslam, S. M.

Fachgebiete

• Geowissenschaften Geographie | Raumplanung Feuchtgebiete, Sümpfe, Moore
• Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Biowissenschaften Ökologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

INTRODUCTION
Wetland basics
Ideas on wetlands: fact and fable
The creations of the waters
WETLANDS MATTER
Introduction, and the World Charter for Nature
Values
Considerations of values
Wetland to Dryland: the changing from fish and fowl to grain and vegetable
Wetland products
HOW WETLANDS WORK
Introduction
Integrating wetland processes
Wetland landscapes
Biodiversity
IN WETLAND WILDS
Continuities and discontinuities
Geomorphological, hydromorphic, and similar classifications
Vegetation classification
Wetlands in the landscape
Bog
Marsh
Reedswamp
Fens
Tall herb and short herb communities
Grassland
Woodland
THE ANIMALS
Introduction
Invertebrates
Fish
Birds
Mammals
Reptiles
Amphibia
Microorganisms and fungi
THE WATERS OF THE WETLANDS
Water in the landscape
Soil and drainage
Vertical fluctuations
Sideways movement
Vegetation as an indicator of water regime
Case studies
Discussion
CHEMICAL TYPES AND VEGETATION TYPES
Introduction
Chemical types in the landscape
Plants as indicator of nutrient regime
Case studies
Chemical impact
THE POWER TO PURIFY
Principles and definitions
How fens, marshes and reedswamps (natural and constructed wetland) act chemically
Purification
Buffer strips
PHRAGMITES: A STUDY IN PLANT BEHAVIOR AND HUMAN USE
The plant unit
The seasonal cycle
The seedling and young plant
The advancing plant
Chemistry and competition
The water
The thatching reed
The maintaining of the stand
Conclusion
THE SILENT BATTLEFIELD: VEGETATION CHANGES
Vegetation develops
Sallow (Salix cinerea) carr invasion
Carex paniculata and Phragmites australis
Galium aparine (goosegrass) in tall-herb fen vegetation
The Schoenus nigricans community
Schoenus nigricans and Molinia caerulea
Schoenus nigricans andCladium mariscus
Phragmites made sparse in three other vegetation types
Reedswamp invasion of open water
A native and an introduced grass in the Camargue, France
Phalaris arundinacca and Urtica dioica in flood meadows, River Luznice, Czech Republic
Typha spp. In North America
Cladium mariscoides and Typha jamaicense in the Everglades, Florida
Myrica gale, Cladium mariscus and the keeper
Combined ills
Conclusions


THREATS AND LOSSES, PAST AND PRESENT
The major dangers
Management and loss of Broadland over time in East Anglia
Deterioration of waterfowl and wet grassland
Reedswamp dieback
CONSERVATION
Introduction
Principles of conservation