Wetlands

About this book

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 have 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.

Contents

Preface
About the Companion Website

Part I Introduction
1. Wetland History and Science
2. Wetland Definitions
3. The World’s Wetlands

Part II The Wetland Environment
4. Wetland Hydrology
5. Wetland Soils
6. Wetland Biogeochemistry
7. Wetland Vegetation and Succession

Part III Wetland Ecosystems
8. Coastal Wetlands
9. Freshwater Marshes and Swamps
10. Peatlands

Part IV Wetland Management
11. Wetland Classification and Mapping
12. Wetland Laws and Protection
13. Wetland Ecosystem Services
14. Wetland Creation and Restoration
15. Wetlands and Water Quality
16. Wetlands and Climate Change

Glossary
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

William J. Mitsch, PhD, is Professor and Director of the Everglade Wetland Research Park at Florida Gulf Coast University and Juliet C. Sproul Chair for Southwest Florida Habitat Restoration and Management. In 2004 he was co-winner of the Stockhold Water Prize.

James G. Gosselink, PhD (deceased), was Professor at the Center for Coast and Environment at Louisiana State University. In 1998 he received the Society of Wetland Scientists Lifetime Achievement Award.

Christopher J. Anderson, PhD, is head of the Wetland and Riparian Ecology Lab at Auburn University, which examines the effects of human activity on aquatic and riparian ecosystems.

M. Siobhan Fennessy, PhD, is a Professor of Environment Studies and Biology at Kenyon College. Her research focuses on wetland plant species diversity and its responses to man-made impact.