ENVIR ST 260 1st Edition Lecture 14 Outline of Last Lecture I Difference Between Conservation and Restoration II Conservation III Restoration Outline of Current Lecture I Wetlands II Hydrodynamics III Mangroves IV Importance of Wetlands V Poyang Lake China VI Wetland Key Points Current Lecture Guest Lecturer Ben Sullender Ecosystems Wetlands Today we re focusing on Wetlands Grasslands Forests Deserts Aquatic Ecosystems Wetlands Ecotone A transitional ecosystem These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute Interface of terrestrial and aquatic system Wetlands are a great example of an ecotone Different classifications There s no clear method of defining them they can be classified in multiple ways Hydrodynamics How water influences wetland composition Water Source Climate Precipitation Humid Surface Flow Mesic to humid Mesic Groundwater Influx Geologic Features Poor drainage Hydrological Results Waterlogged soils anoxic conditions Biological Outcome Low productivity Regular flooding Influx of nutrients High productivity heterogeneous High productivity Stable Springs and Groundwater seeps permeable supplies nutrients soils Clicker Question What is the primary water source for Cherokee Marsh WI Surface Flow Mangroves These are distributed globally but are mainly tropical They re all along coasts Most of them are in South East Asia Trees Adapted to salt water tidal fluctuations On edge of ocean so they have to deal with this stuff Root complexity and density They deal with salt water by only allowing in the water and stocking the salt absorption at the root level Some leaves will secrete salt to keep it out of the system Trap sediment They have super dense roots that help trap sediment Importance of Wetlands 2004 Earthquake and Tsunami Event There was a massive Earthquake right off the Indonesian Coast It was the 3 rd largest earthquake and it triggered a series of other earthquakes Because it happened in the Middle of the ocean it triggered a tsunami Ecosystem Services of Wetlands Shoreline Stabilization Aftermath of 2004 South Asian Tsunami Before there was a lot of development and agriculture which removed a lot of the mangroves over the shore The absence of mangroves allowed the tsunami to completely wash over the shore and devastate far inland Neighborhood scale with without mangroves One neighbor had cut down their mangrove trees but the other didn t The house without trees was completely gone after the tsunami The house with trees was able to stick around Mangroves really diffuse it the effects of the tsunami Water Filtration Flood Mitigation Wetland will absorb excess water Poyang Lake Largest freshwater lake in China Conservation and Restoration Conservation Importance Ramseur Wetland of International Importance 20 nature reserves including Poyang Lake Nature Reserve Conservation and Restoration Chinese government has been replanting trees due to deforestation They watch for poaching They have billboards that just advertise the beauty of it Plants and Animals Biodiversity Amphibians Water buffalo Insects Aquatic vegetation Major Water bird Guilds Siberian crane tubers Greater white fronted goose sedge grass Spot billed duck seeds dabbling Spotted redshank benthic insect larvae Oriental white stork large fish Eurasian spoonbill zooplankton small fish Poyang Ecosystem Key habitat for migratory water birds Siberian crane critically endangered 98 depend on Poyang during the winter Oriental white stock endangered 90 depend on Poyang during the winter White Naped crane vulnerable 50 depend on Poyang during the winter Swan goose vulnerable 50 depend on Poyang during the winter Threats Habitat Fragmentation There s a visitor center in the natural park They had to divert a river and planted trees not native to ecosystem There s an enormous amount of disturbance Population Over 10 million people in Poyang basin Major cities Jiujiang 4 7 million Nanchang 5 million A lot of air pollution due to massiveness of cities Pollution There s no garbage disposal service or recycling so everybody throws their trash in big heaps at the edge of the lake When it rains the garbage is pulled into the lake Pollution is directly tied to immense population Tourism The tourists will try to make a commotion to spook the birds so that they take off and the tourists can get good pictures of them Hydrological Alteration Dredging Largest sand mining operation in the world Poyang has a tremendous amount of sand at the bottom There are big dredging marshes that come along and suck up sand Then after the barges leaves you get heavy machinery that comes in This mining creates a huge disturbance and it greatly alters the area Levees Built by people to form a natural divider There s a massive levee that people decided to construct It was constructed by fishermen so when it floods they can trap fish in it This is happening all over Dams Three Gorges Dam Reservoir 600 km long 39 billion dollars to build 1 2 million people relocated Natural Hydrology Connection with Yangtze River Expansive wetland system Dynamic flood pulse ecosystem Winter dry season Summer wet season with influx of sediments Creates tremendous amount of productivity As water recedes the fish and nutrients become concentrated which is great for the birds Primary Water Source of Poyang Surface Water Flow Fieldwork Winter really muddy and cold Logistics Use a combination of walking on foot small boats motorboats and motorcycles Bird of Study Eurasian Spoonbill Diet of zooplankton fish and benthic macroinvertebrates Ecological data easily collected IUCN listing least concern large population expansive distribution Valuable framework for other species Dietary Data Potential for connection with human impacts Variables Studied Bird observations GPS location of birds Turbidity Measure of how much sediment and plankton is active and the water this affects how aquatic plants grow Water level Models and Maps Geographic Information Systems He takes all the measurements bird observations and turbidity and puts them into maps Modeling He generates models after the maps Species Distribution Model Preliminary findings Annual hydrological cycle Seasonal turbidity predictor of habitat quality Water depth matters He puts together all the information and predicts where the birds will be Conclusions Poyang Lake relies on seasonal flood pulses Summer Yangtze