The definitive guide to wetlands for students and professionals alike
Wetlands rank among the most productive but also the most vulnerable ecosystems. They break down toxins and help maintain aquatic ecosystems, provide both permanent and temporary homes for key species, and contribute enormously to biodiversity and global ecological health. In recent years the importance of wetlands has been increasingly well understood, and their management and restoration has become a particular focus of environmental research.
Wetlands provides a thorough and comprehensive overview of wetlands, updated to reflect the latest research findings and methodological approaches, as it has done for more than a generation. The new edition has been optimized for classroom use, breaking down the topic into four parts: introduction to wetlands, the wetland environment, wetland ecosystems, and wetland management.
Readers of the sixth edition of Wetlands will also find:
- A detailed discussion of the role of wetlands in improving water quality, protection from storm damage, and other ecosystem services
- The latest approaches and examples of wetland creation and restoration
- A thorough discussion of the impacts of climate change on wetlands, and how to mitigate them
Wetlands is essential reading for students and professionals in ecology, environmental engineering, and water resource management.
Table of Contents
Preface vii
About the Companion Website ix
Part I Introduction
1 Wetland History and Science 3
2 Wetland Definitions 22
3 The World’s Wetlands 40
Part II The Wetland Environment
4 Wetland Hydrology 105
5 Wetland Soils 157
6 Wetland Biogeochemistry 176
7 Wetland Vegetation and Succession 210
Part III Wetland Ecosystems
8 Coastal Wetlands 251
9 Freshwater Marshes and Swamps 331
10 Peatlands 393
Part IV Wetland Management
11 Wetland Classification and Mapping 435
12 Wetland Laws and Protection 456
13 Wetland Ecosystem Services 478
14 Wetland Creation and Restoration 518
15 Wetlands and Water Quality 566
16 Wetlands and Climate Change 612
Glossary 643
Index 657
