Wetlands

Palustrine systems

• Wetlands dominated by vegetation: trees, shrubs, persistent emergents & mosses

• Also includes wetlands that occur in tidal areas where salinity is below 0.5 ppt (parts per thousand)

• Subgroups including bogs, fens, marshes, swamps, and ponds

Bogs

• Depressions dominated by Sphagnum peat, with acidic waters, and low minerals content

Fens

• Peat-forming wetlands, with alkaline waters, and high mineral content

Marshes

• Wetland dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants

Swamps

• Wetlands dominated by trees and shrubs

Lacustrine systems

• Deeper water habitats in a depression or dammed rivers, larger than 20 acres

• This includes permanently flooded lakes, reservoirs, and intermittent lakes

• Lacks permanent vegetation, but can contain submerged and floating plants

Riverine systems

• Flowing water habitats contained within a channel

• Rivers, streams, and creeks are common examples

• Moving water erodes riverbanks, and sand will sometimes form forming bars or islands

• If the channel becomes blocked by debris, the river may change its course leaving an oxbow lake

Estuarine systems

• Tidal wetlands in which ocean water is diluted by freshwater river runoff 

• Estuaries, mangrove swamps, and salt-marshes are common examples

• Salinity is greater than 0.5 ppt, but lower than ocean water (30-35 ppt)

• Low-energy environments buffered by salt-tolerant emergent plants (e.g. mangroves)

Marine systems

• Open ocean overlying the continental shelf and its associated high-energy coastline

• Reefs and ocean beaches are common examples

• Located in tidal areas exposed to waves and currents of the open ocean

• Salinities exceed 30 ppt in marine habitats