Amphibians commonly use wetlands for breeding habitat, and given the concern about their ongoing global declines, the effects of urbanization on the breeding distribution of amphibians need to be quantified. Thus, we conducted a survey of the larval amphibian community in central Pennsylvania (U.S.A.) wetlands along an urbanization gradient. Wetlands in urban areas had less surrounding forest a...

Wetlands are critical habitats for birds. However, wetlands are being degraded at an accelerating rate due to global human activity, and a disproportionate fraction of wetland-dependent bird species are in decline. We evaluated the conservation value of a new Ramsar site, Guangdong Haifeng Wetlands, China, for birds, by comparing bird communities (using line transect data) in 3 different distri...

Permits to destroy wetlands often require the creation of the same type of wetland elsewhere. An assumption underlying this practice is that such created wetlands will replace the ecological functions lost when the developed wetland was destroyed. Part of this ecological function is providing habitat for wildlife, including, in coastal areas, a suite of bird species tied to salt marshes for som...

This study aims at investigating the spawning migration of the endemic Labeobarbus species and C. gariepinus from Lake Tana, through Ribb River, to Welala and Shesher wetlands. The study was conducted during peak spawning months (July to October, 2010). Fish were collected through overnight gillnet settings. A total of 1725 specimens of the genus Labeobarbus (13 species) and 506 specimens of C....

-Phragmites austrailis have been commonly planted on sludge treatment wetlands due to its high resistance to sludge waste; thus sludge treatment wetlands are commonly referred to as “reed beds”. Phragmites’ aggressive nature and high productivity allow this invasive plant species to form monoculture stands, alter ecosystem processes, outcompete and replace native species. Thus, native alternati...

A wetland inventory and assessment was made as a basis for development of a national wetlands policy for Colombia (CMWP). Major wetlands were identified from a 1:1 500 000 scale national hydrological map. Of 57 major wetlands in 27 catchments or wetland complexes, wetlands in 16 of these were selected for assessment. Wetland type, ecological status and wetland value for each wetland was scored ...

Water quality in many stream catchments and river basins is severely impacted by nutrient enrichment as a result of agriculture. Water-resource managers worldwide are considering the potential role of riparian zones and floodplain wetlands in improving stream-water quality, as there is evidence at the site scale that such wetlands are efficient at removing nutrients from through-flowing water. ...

During the 2005 hurricane season, the storm surge and wave field associated with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita eroded 527 km(2) of wetlands within the Louisiana coastal plain. Low salinity wetlands were preferentially eroded, while higher salinity wetlands remained robust and largely unchanged. Here we highlight geotechnical differences between the soil profiles of high and low salinity regimes, ...

Anaerobic microbial processes play particularly important roles in the biogeochemical functions of wetlands, affecting water quality, nutrient transport, and greenhouse gas fluxes. This study simultaneously examined nitrate and sulfate removal rates in sediments of five southwestern Michigan wetlands varying in their predominant water sources from ground water to precipitation. Rates were estim...

Conflicting interests in the use and management of wetlands have always resulted in their degradation. The degradation of wetlands affects their natural functioning, environmental health and livelihood of the people who depend on them. The eastern Usangu wetland has suffered a lot from multiple-use pressure arising from both national and local interests. As a result, the government banned the u...