CHAPTER ONE What are Wetlands Wetlands are ecosystems where water covers the soil or is near the surface of the soil for most or all of the year You can find wetlands on every continent except Antarctica from the tundra to the tropics Wetlands provide a habitat for a wide variety of plants and animals 4
NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN UNITED STATES NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN GULF OF MEXICO MEXICO Wetlands of the Americas CUBA VENEZUELA COLUMBIA ECUADOR UPLAND LOWLAND BRAZIL PERU ORGANIC SALT AFFECTED PERMAFROST AFFECTED INLAND WATER BODIES NO WETLANDS BOLIVIA 5
On North Carolina's Outer Banks coastal marshes are home to waterfowl fish birds mammals and amphibians 6
There are two general types of wetlands coastal sometimes called tidal and inland We find coastal wetlands near the ocean where saltwater mixes with fresh water to form varying degrees of brackish water In coastal wetlands the water levels vary throughout the day due to the changing tides Few plants grow well under these conditions so many shallow coastal wetlands are barren mud flats or sand flats However in some wetlands we can find grasses or mangroves that have adapted to the salty water 7
